The Lost Avenger
by Zikhi99
Summary: Kurito Arouna is a Dragon Slayer wizard of Fairy Tail, raised by the mighty Force Dragon King, Izurayama. After his dragon's disappearance and his clan's massacre, he vows to become stronger and avenge his fallen kinsmen. Will he be able to uncover the secrets around him and move on? Or will everything around him fall apart? OCxHarem.
1. Prologue

Hi guys! Welcome to the revamped Last Avenger! Well, for starters, let me tell you what I've added...

3 new arcs:

1-Battle of Fairy tail

2-Tower of Heaven

3-Phoenix Priestess(I will added a few changes here and there.)

And maybe, just maybe, Oracion Seis Arc.

Well, some times, I leave some details out of a chapter to create a cliffhanger and explain it in the next chapter.

I switched the BOFT Arc with the Tower of Heaven because I want to give Kurito more space about his return, and about other things that are going on behind the curtains.

I deleted the other chapters because I wanted to keep you guys up-to-date with the story. Don't worry, of course I've changed many things about them.

Full name: Kurito D. Arouna

Magic: Force Dragon Slayer Magic. It's a mix of Gravity magic and Heavenly Body Magic that allows the user to use stellar energy. The aura of the magic is light blue.

Weapon: A long straight, no guard katana.

Appearance: He is a lean, muscular young man with an average height. He has a messy, jet black hair with several bangs framing his forehead and a pale white skin. He has abnormal sharp canines, and has his dark blue guild mark on his right shoulder. He wears a tight, sleeveless, black shirt with a long, leather jacket and a baggy, blue pants.

Eyes Color: Onyx.

Age : 14 (In this part of the story)

Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _July 6, X777._**

The morning light shone brightly down at the cave. Kurito turned to his side, trying to avoid the sunlight. The cave he slept in wasn't the most comfortable, but the large nest his draconian father made was a nice substitute for the cold, hard ground. Kurito groaned, reaching his hand to touch something on the nest. Once his hand touched the same, familiar straw, his eyes opened slowly in realization...

Izura wasn't sleeping beside him like usually is...

As he quickly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he looked around the cave, trying to find his foster father. The cave was empty, the only sounds that could be heard is that of the wind blowing and the birds chirping outside.

"What the hell?" He said in anxiety. He worried and confused at the sudden disappearance of his dragon. He quickly made his way out of the cave.

Kurito looked around the forest in distress. He searched for at least 2 hours and didn't find Izura anywhere. They already had enough food, so it wouldn't make sense to Kurito that Izura would go hunting.

"Agh, I've been searching all day." Kurito groaned.

He smiled a weird smell. It was a mix of green apple and lavender. He heard a branch break and turned his head to its direction, findind a young girl around his age. She had a short brown hair and forest green eyes. She had a fair skin and wore a simple white summerdress. She looked at Kurito curiously.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, her innocent eyes looking at him questionably

Kurito felt lost in her forest green eyes, a lump forming in his throat. He never made contact with another soul, except Izura.

"U-Um, my name is Kurito..Kurito Arouna." He muttered but his words went heard by the girl.

The girl smiled widely, her eyes brightening in wonder. "You are an Arouna! My name is Ryouko Arouna!"

Kurito's eyes widened. "A-Arouna?" He never thought that he would meet someone with the same surname.

Ryouko nodded. "Yes. I live with the clan in a village close from here. Don't you know about it?" Anyone would've thought that it's suspicious to find an Arouna outside the clan's village, let alone someone there age, but Ryouko didn't suspect anything. She thought that maybe he was lost? Or that his parents left the village?

"A-A Village?" Kurito stammered in shock.

Ryouko nodded eagerly. "You must come, you're one of us, afterall."

Before Kurito could protest, Ryouko took a hold of his hand and dragged him to the village. He felt his thoughts swelling. Izura never told him about his origins. He only told him that he was a member of a strong clan.

Finding Izura was his top priority for now, but he felt a little happy that he's going to meet people like him.

 **Arouna Village (Rivelia):**

Ziroko Arouna sat in the middle of the Arouna village's shrine. He was tall man with a black, tied, spiky hair that reached the middle of his back. He was around 40 years old. On the wall in front of him was the Arouna clan symbol, which consisted of a phoenix with a flame-like aura around it. He wore a black kimono and had some hair on his chin. He also had a medium white skin, and dark blue eyes.

"The Arouna Force. What could be the key to reaching this legend?" He mused loudly. In all his years of life, he only had one goal: to uncover the mysteries of his clan. Unfortunately, all of the clan's secrets lied within its holy book, The Arouna Book, which he only managed to find several pages of.

"Still going on about that nonsense, Big brother?" Ziroko turned to look at the his caller with a blank look.

"What do you want, Fujitaka?" Ziroko asked. Behind Ziroko, stood a man around his late thirties, wearing a knights armor. He had an average height and dark blue eyes and a long, black, spiky hair. He had a light white skin.

"You've been going on with these legend ever since you became the clan's head. I want you to remember that there are other priorities." Fujitaka crossed his arms and scowled.

"Our clan's future lies in the Arouna book. The ancient spells and powers that had been left to us by our ancestors are the key for the clan's future." Ziroko replied as he looked down at the pages in his hands.

"Oh please, nobody needs a history lesson. They need the head of their clan to step up and claim the clan's name!" Fujitaka exclaimed in frustration.

"By opening the Elipse and releasing every legendary creature known to humanity these past 400 years and putting humanity on the stake? No." Ziroko replied sternly as he rolled the withering sheets of paper and stood up to face his brother.

Fujitaka growled "The people you don't want to stand up to are the ones that cornered us here in Rivelia! We need to show the council and Fiore our power. We are being treated like trash!"

"I'm not going to open Eclipse and that's final. Besides, it's about time we get out of our shell and socialize with other people." Ziroko stated.

Fujitaka was about to say something but was interrupted when a maid entered the shrine, holding kneeling and panting from running.

"Master Ziroko, Master Fujitaka, I think you have to see this."

...

'Who's this boy?"

"Did Ryouko bring a stranger to the village?"

"That's disastrous."

"We must inform the Master."

Voices rang around Kurito as he and Ryouko walked through the village. Ryouko said something about meeting her mother. Kurito couldn't wait to get out of the road. The peoples words and glares made him kind of nervous.

"Hold it." Ziroko appeared in front of the two, the maid and Fujitaka trailing behind him.

"Ziroko-ojichan!" Ryouko's face beamed as she smiled. She ran to her grandfather and hugged him. Ziroko smiled down at his granddaughter. "Hi there, pumpkin. Who's your little friend?"

Ryouko grinned and looked up. "He's Kurito! He was lost in the woods. He is one of us! an Arouna!"

Ziroko eyes widen and he looked at Kurito, who was scratching the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. "Pleasure to meet you, oji-san."

 _He's just a mere boy. There is the possibility that he is lying, but he doesn't look like a liar._ Ziroko thought in suspicion.

"Brother, if you would allow me.." Fujitaka whispered as he stood beside Ziroko.

Ziroko raised his arm, stopping Fujitaka. "No, Fujitaka. Doing something to him will cause unnecessary attention. I have something for him."

Ziroko walked until he stood in front of Kurito. A crowd forming around the two.

"Boy, you're saying you're an Arouna?" Ziroko asked as he eyed Kurito suspiciously.

Kurito nodded. "Yeah. My name is Kurito D. Arouna." He suddenly clamped his hands around his mouth, a terrified look on his face. "I-I wasn't suppose to say that!"

Both Ziroko and Fujitaka's eyes widen. ' _A-A-A D!?'_ They thought simultaneously, shaken by the reveal.

Kurito looked up at them with puppy eyes. "Can you please...forget what I just said?"

Everyone around Kurito paled in complete shook. "OF COURSE WE CAN'T YOU IDIOT!"

Ziroko coughed to regain his composure. "Can you use magic?" Ziroko asked while Kurito nodded eagerly. "Yes! I'm a Force Dragon Slayer!" He said proudly, making everyone eyes widen in shock an disbelief.

 _That's the proof he's a D. If he has this powerful Lost Magic, then the test will be enough for him._ Ziroko thought.

"I want you to proof it. If you can use a simple power-up spell every Arouna can use, then that will proof that you are one of us." Ziroko said while Kurito's eyes narrowed in challenge.

"While you unleash your magic power say this, **Mystic powers, lend me your strength to purge all evil! Shingami Burst!"**

Kurito took a fighting stance and clenched his fists. This was his chance to finally get out of the shell he had with Izura, and he wasn't going to waste it.

He unleashed his powerful Dragon Slayer aura. A big, blue aura surrounded his body. He gave a mighty yell as the rocks around him started floating.

 **"Mystic powers, lend me your strength to purge all evil! Shingami Burst!"** Kurito roared as his body was now clad in a red flame-like aura. The aura was big it forced Ziroko to take a few steps away.

 _H-He's strong! Too strong for his age!._ Fujitaka thought in disbelief.

Ziroko looked at the boy with amazement. _He didn't awaken his eyes yet, but he still can use the **Shinigami Burst!?**_

" **Force Dragon's Roar!"** Kurito exhaled a bigger, powerful version of his roar at the sky. The shockwave caused by the roar caused some people around them to fly back.

Suddenly, Kurito's magic power died down. He fell on the ground panting.

"Kurito!" Ryouko ran to his side and held him. "You okay?" She asked worriedly.

Kurito gave a weak smile. "I-I'm okay." Kurito groaned as he could feel his muscles aching. He could feel pain all over his body.

"Don't worry, it is the spell's aftereffects. He just needs to rest." Ziroko smiled. "Welcome to your new home, Kurito."

* * *

Inside Ziroko's residance, Kurito lay down in a futon, sleeping peacefully. Ziroko and Ryouko sat beside him.

Ryouko looked at her grandfather and sighed. "Grandpa, you got carried away."

Ziroko sweatdropped. "Well, at least he done it."

"But he hasn't even awaken his eyes!How could you make him do something so dangerous?" Ryouko protested.

Ziroko sighed. "Someday, you will take my place as the clan's master, so learn. I sensed a strong magic energy from Kurito, that's why I was suspicious of him. And when he said that he was one of us, I doubted him even more." He explained.

"Even so.." Ryouko muttered while looking away.

Ziroko grinned. "Oh? Has my little cute heir finally got her betrothed?"

Ryouko's face turned into a radioactive tomato. "N-No! I just thought that it would be nice to have anther kid my age at the village!"

Ziroko gave a sly smile. "Dear, their are many, but you got drawn and suddenly worried about that boy. Is this what they call childhood love?"

Steam was coming from Ryouko's head as she waved her arms in denial. "C-C-C-hildh-o-od!?"

"Stop this, Oyaji." A gentle but firm voice said. Ziroko and Ryouko turned to find Ryouko's mother entering the room. She sat at the other side of the futon and glared at her father. "You really overdid it." She had long black hair and the side of her bangs were white. She had purple eyes and two purple dots on her forehead. Her curvaceous figure was covered by a purple kimono with rose patterns on it.

Sweat rolled down Ziroko's forehead. "Put yourself in my place, Himiko! I couldn't let the boy go by."

Himiko sighed. "You could've just made him forget about the village."

"W-Wel-"

"What about making me forget?" Everyone gasped in shock as Kurito sat up with a confused expression.

"Y-you! How did you wake up that fast?!" Ziroko asked in surprise.

Kurito looked around him, noticing that he was in a japanese-styled room. He then looked at Ryouko, noticing her happy smile.

He grinned. "Sorry. It seems I made you worry to much."

"Don't do it again, you idiot."

He looked at the woman sitting beside her in confusion. "Who is this beautiful baa-chan?"

A tick-mark appeared on Himiko's head as she raised her fist slowly. "B-Baa-c-chan?"

 **BAMP!**

Kurito wailed painfully as he rubbed the big red bump. "WHAT THE HELL!"

Himiko huffed. "Your lucky I didn't pummel you. Besides, I'm 30, you rude, street boy!"

"Easy there, Himiko. The boy didn't know." Ziroko sweatdropped.

"He has eyes. He can know! Not my fault if he's an idiot!" Himiko exclaimed hotly.

Ryouko sweatdropped as she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Okaa-san, aren't you taking this a bit too far?"

Himiko sniffed as she turned to look at her with comical crocodile eyes. "I mean...I don't look that old.."

"Well, can't blame him. Stress and pressure does get to ones looks. Besides, he called you beautiful" Ziroko stated with a shrug.

"If grandmothers were beautiful, mother wouldn't have dumped you." Himiko deadpanned, causing Ziroko to sulk with a dark look on his face.

"Then I can call you Stress-baachan?" Kurito asked in complete innocence.

Himiko stood up, her hair shadowing her hair. "That's it, everybody dies." She mumbled with dark aura around here.

Everyone cowered behind Ziroko, who looked at his daughter with a horrified look.

"H-Honey, would you like it if I got you married again?"

Himiko unleashed her powerful magic aura and glared darkly her father. "DIE!"

* * *

 ** _August 7, X777._**

 **Arouna Village, Himiko's House:**

"Kurito, launch is ready!" Ryouko called from the dining room. Kurito jumped from up the stairs and entered the dining room.

During the last month, Kurito came to see this village as his home and Himiko, Ziroko, and Ryouko as his family. He trained with Ziroko, got scolded by Himiko, and hang out with Ryouko. The feelings he felt around them were stronger than the way he felt around Izura. He couldn't wait to introduce them to each other. He told Ziroko about his desire to find his dragon, and despite the odd look he got from him, Ziroko said that he will support him.

"Hi, how's my little dragon's training?" Himiko asked with a smile. Kurito quickly dug in the food along with Ryouko, making the older woman giggle. "It was great! Ziroko-jisan gave me a mission to kill a pack of Vulcans close to the village. He said that it was about time I get out and handle something." Kurito said.

"Can you take me with you?" Ryouko pleaded with puppy eyes.

Kurito shook his head. "Even if I said yes, the old man wouldn't allow it."

Ryouko pouted. "Stop treating me like a kid!"

"You're his little princess. Of course your grandpa and your guardian dragon will look after you." Himiko teased, making both teens blush.

Himiko laughed at the two. _It makes me feel at peace seeing that Ryouko got someone to look after her._ She thought as she saw the two teens picking on each other.

* * *

 **NIGHTTIME:**

The wind blew around the brothers. Ziroko and Fujitaka stood against each other in an empty landscape away from the village. Both wearing samurai battle armors.

"So this is what you chose? Putting your own selfish desires ahead of our clan's peace?" Ziroko asked seriously.

Fujitaka scoffed. "Don't joke around!" He exclaimed in rage. "You are going to sacrifice our clan's pride to build your own glory. Can't you see it, brother? WE ARE BEING TREATED AS SHIT BY EVERYONE! We're the ones that built Fiore, and we're the ones that are going to rule it!" He said as he unleashed a dark flame-like aura.

"Very well, but know this Fujitaka. I wished that you will understand my thoughts, but it seems that it can't be avoided." Ziroko said with a hint of guilt in his voice.

He shot his little brother a glare. "For our clan, for Fiore, and for the future, you will go no further!" He unleashed a white flame-like aura. Both brothers eyes glowed red as they activated their Shinigami Eyes.

Both clenched their fists. Fujitaka inhaled. " **Darkness God's..."**

Ziroko inhaled. " **Light God's..."**

 **"Phantasmal Scream!"** Fujitaka exhaled a big cannon of darkness at Ziroko.

" **Bellow!"** Ziroko exhaled a powerful light blast at Fujitaka. Their spells clashed, causing a big explosion

 **AWAY FROM THE BATTLEFIELD:**

Zeref watched the battle from a cliff. His eyes turned bloody-red as he glared.

"Accept judgment, Arouna Clan."

* * *

Kurito gave an exhausted sigh as he walked back from his mission. He managed to successfully eliminate all the Vulcans. It was nighttime, so he figured that everyone will be sleep. He yawned and thought about reporting to Ziroko next morning.

Over the last month, he built strong bonds with those around him and came to see them as his family. Everyone loved him at the village and he loved them. He was excited to see how will they react to him finishing his first mission.

Of course, he didn't forget about Izura. He swore to himself that he will find his dragon and ask him about his sudden disappearance. He already told Ziroko about it, and the latter told him that dragons are rare and finding one is next to impossible, but he also told him that he will train him on the Arouna clan's spells so that he will have the necessary power to go out and find his foster father.

Little did he know...that the Arouna clan's sun has already set.

Suddenly, the ground shook as a sound of an explosion could be heard. Kurito's eyes widen in fear as the explosion's voice lead him back to the village. He's eyes widen in horror as he saw that the village was on fire. He could here numerous scream ans shouts of pain and agony.

"W-WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" He entered the village and his eyes widen in horror.

In front of him was the bloody bodies of his clan's members. He ran through the roads and saw demons slaughtering every member of his clan. He ran to his house, avoiding the demons around him and closing his eyes, tears of horror forming in them.

He stopped by his house and entered it. "ZIROKO! HIMIKO! RYOUKO!" He called out as more explosions shook the ground.

He opened the door to the living room...and that's when his world crashed.

In front of him, were the bodies of Ryouko and Himiko.

"NO!" He cried out as tears started forming in his eyes. He bent down to shake the their bloody bodies, but no avail.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he looked at the blood in his hands. _This can't be happening!_ _This can't be happening!_ _This can't be happening!_

Suddenly, he felt something tug on his sleeve. He looked down and his eyes widen. "Ryouko!"

The girl was bleeding through her head as a big trail of blood covered her right eye. She had a stab wound on her torso. Her left eye was still open. Kurito held her and cradled her in his arms. "W-What happened!? How-" Tears were still running down his cheeks as she cut him off and placed her lips on his. He tatsed the blood from her lips and couldn't help but to freeze at the realization.

This wasn't a dream, it was reality.

When she pulled back, she gave him a weak smile. "I...love you...I wished...that..I-I..can...walk..by y-your side." She muttered before her eyes closed and her body went limp.

"Ryouko! PLEASE DON'T GO!" Kurito cried as he hugged her cold body.

Suddenly, his nose caught someone in the room. He looked up to find a young man, wearing high-collared red and tan robes with gold trim, along with a large, flowing white toga draped around his torso. He has short black hair, and his eyes were bloody-red.

"W-Who.." Was all that Kurito could utter in his broken state.

The young man locked his bloody-red eyes with the boy's teary onyx ones. He saw fear, agony, pain, and sadness in the his eyes.

"My name is Zeref, Kurito. If you want to avenge your clan, then hate me, resent me, and then you'll be able to end me."

Kurito could feel a strange heat in his eyes. He could feel all the blood in his body gather in his eyes. Zeref smirked as Kurito eyes turned bloody-red, marking the awakening of his Shinigami Eyes.

Suddenly, Kurito fell on the ground, on top of Ryouko. His face stained with tears as he fell unconscious.

Zeref walked to the unconscious boy, bent down, and placed his hand on the boy's back, tears falling from his eyes and onto the boy's back.

"All...for a better future."

* * *

It didn't take Rune Knights time to rush to the village. The rain poured as if it was trying to convoy a certain boy's feelings. In the middle of the destroyed village, Kurito was on his kness, his her shadowing his eyes as the rain soaked him. The knights reported that the boy has survived, but were too nervous to approach the boy.

In all his life, Makarov Dreyar would've never guessed or thought that he will see such a brutal sight. He saw many destroyed villages and the other crimes of Dark Guilds, but an entire clan slaughtered with their eyes gouged was too much for him to take in.

He felt extremely sad and hurt as he watched the devastated boy. He could understand his sorrow. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. He never imagined that the council would be that useless. A feeling of deja vu ran through him. He remembered seeing this scene, but it was with his own family.

Makarov face softened as the boy's body started trembling. The council wanted him to eliminate the dark guild behind this, but it was easier said than done.

He followed his heart and made his way to the trembling boy. He knelt in front of the boy. The boy looked up at him. His right eye was bloody-red while the other was onyx. Tears ran down his cheeks as he looked at Makarov. Makarov could see many feelings inside the boy's eyes. His eyes, despite their different colors, showed anguish, sorrow, pain, and hatred. The sight made Makarov's heart clench even more.

He gave the lost boy a soft smile. "Listen, kid, I know that you're sad, and you will properly think that I don't understand you, but I do. Losing someone close to you most be hard on you, but don't throw away the things you felt in the past. Don't be to engrossed in your memories, be to engrossed in the feelings behind them. Don't throw away the happiness you felt with them for the hatred you're feeling now because the ones that loved you weren't going to wish that for you. Life is a harsh journey, but with the right memories, it can be a happy one."

The boy just stared at Makarov for a while. Makarov stood up and extended his hand at the boy, surprising the knights around them.

He grinned. "Come with me...to Fairy Tail. It is a guild that helps people and it's filled with mystery. A guild is a place where wizards go on mission, befriend each other, and gain status."

Kurito managed to process Makarov's words. Everything happened so fast that the only thing he wanted was to be away from this pain.

At that moment, Makarov's words didn't ring anything inside him, and he knew why...

His chest was hollow...


	2. Pain filled eyes

Hi guys! Long time no write. I was to busy with my life and I kindaof lost my writing style. That's why, this chapter will be short. Also, it I'll be a starter for the next chapter.

Don't forget to review, fav, and favorite!

* * *

It was raining harshly outside as Makarov at beside Kurito, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. After the Arouna Clan massacre, Makarov took Kurito to Porlyusica's house, in order to heal the boy. Thankfully, there wasn't anything to be healed, physically at least.

"How's the boy doing?" Porlyusica asked as she entered the room.

Makarov had a look of remorse n his face as he looked down at the sleeping boy. "His having a peace of mind."

Porlyusica had a look of pity on her face as she placed her hand on Makarov's shoulder. "There is nothing the you could have done, Makarov."

She was right, he knew it, and he hated it. He couldn't stop his thoughts from running wild at the thought that if he came earlier, he could've stopped it.

"If anything, that boy must learn to move forward and forget about it." Porlyusica said as she walked to her medicines table.

Makarov growled. "For Mavis sake, he just lost his family."

"That's why he needs to know how to move on. Everyone you know lost theirs." Porlyusica stated while mixing the weird looking liquids.

Makarov sighed. "I know, but to see your entire family killed in front of you..."

"Quit whining, old man. You will pull something out of your butt, just like you always do." Porlyusica smiled. "Just like you did to me..."

Makarov's heart clenched at the old feelings. He was about to say something but porlyusica shook her head, making him stop and gulp.

'Anyways, tell the brat to wake up. He slept for 5 hours. Take him to the guild. Let him make some friends." Porlyusica said in a soft, advising tone.

The healer walked out of the room, leaving the Fairy Tail guild master alone. He sighed and stared at the sleeping boy.

He couldn't stop feeling deja vu. He reminded him of a certain _someone_.

* * *

He could still hear it, the painful screams, the shouts calling for help, the voices pleading for mercy. Kurito looked around him, he saw his fallen village and its people. He could feel the tears at the corner of his eyes. He fell on his knees and covered his ears. He pleaded the voices to stop.

He opened his eyes in surprise at the feeling of a familiar cold touch. His widened in horror as he saw Ryouko smiling at him, a stab wound on her torso and a bloody smile on her lips.

"I love you..."

...

Kurito gave an ear piercing scream as he jolted up in a sitting position. He could feel the cold sweat running down every corner of his body.

He placed a hand on his face as memories started flooding. He remembered that he was taken be an old man. He looked around him and found that he was on a bad in a home with weird looking bottles and books on its shelves.

"You're awake." He turned his head to the source of the voice to find the same old man smiling at him.

"You are..."

Makarov coughed. "My name is MakarovDreyar. I am the master of Fairy Tail guild."

Kurito looked at Makarov, distrust evident in his face. "Come now, I won't hurt you."

"Kurito Arouna." Kurito said with a weary look.

"Hello Kurito. How about I take you to Fairy Tail? It has some wizards like yourself." Makarov offered with a kind smile.

Kurito had the same distrustful look on his face. "How did you know that I am a wizard?"

Makarov sighed. "I can feel your spiritual energy. Those who have big spiritual energy are most likely wizards."

Kurito looked at Makarov. The Fairy Tail master felt as if the Arouna was looking at his very soul.

Makarov sighed. "Do you have anywhere else to go?"

Kurito looked down and hugged his knees. "No."

Makarov smiled knowingly. He had taken in plenty of children over the years with pasts too dark to talk about. What happened to Kurito made him feel like he could trust no one. It was sad. "Well come on, I'll feed you and tell you all about Fairy Tail. Do you know what a guild is?" Kurito shook his head. "Well, it a place where wizards go to get jobs and form teams and gain status. Fairy Tail is especially special because it helps all people and is filled with mystery. It's in the name, Fairy Tail..." Makarov went on and on about it. Kurito just listened, slowly taking in the information. Fairy Tail sounded like an okay place to call home for awhile. Until he could find Izura that is...

He closed his eyes as he felt them glow. At that moment he knew...

Finding Izura isn't the only objective in his mind


	3. Fitting in

**Hi guys, long time no see! I'm sorry for being absent for so long but I had exams these past couple of weeks and now I graduated! Now I'm back to action! I'm late, I know it. Fairy Tail is about to end and I'm yet to finish this thing. The next chapter will have a different timeline. Just as I said the next 2 chapters will be about Kurito's past with Fairy Tail. After it, we will begun the Tower of heaven arc.**

 **Don't forget to follow and fav! And if you have and advice or complains, review! Your reviews encourage me to be better!**

 **P.S: For the next 2 chapters, Kurito's clothes will be different than what was written in his appearance in Chapter 1**

 **Ages:**

 **Kurito - 14**

 **Erza - 14**

 **Laxus - 18**

 **Natsu - 12**

 **Gray - 12**

 **Levy - 11**

 **Mirajane - 14**

* * *

It was clear to Makarov that the boy didn't trust him. The fact was evident when the boy followed him to the guild with a look that was a mix of weariness and pain. No matter how many times Makarov looked into his eyes, they were empty. Like his soul was gone after his clan's massacre.

"Old man." Kurito called.

Makarov looked at the boy as they where walking to the guild. Rivelia was close to Magnolia. Thinking about it, Makarov couldn't help but to wonder about the village's location. Why would the council gave the Arouna Clan a place far away from their eyes? He made a mental note to ask Yajima about it later.

And then their are the D's, the historical family of trouble makers. Considering the boy is a D and an Arouna, there is no doubt the council would keep an eye on him.

"What is Fairy Tail?" Kurito asked.

Makarov stopped and looked at the boy, who looked back at him with a serious expression. What is Fairy Tail? Makarov already knew the answer.

He smiled. "It's more than a guild and a place were wizards earn money. It's a family."

Kurito gave a confused look. "A family?"

"Yeah, pretty much. It is a place for those who lost the meaning of a family, because everyone there knows the meaning of that loss. You might say I'm exaggerating, but that what everyone feels." Makarov stated.

Kurito looked down in thought. Family? A while ago that meaning wasn't so foreign to him, but now he felt empty. The only family he had known died that night. The only father he known is no where to be seen, and he refused to to be weak. His time with his family and Izura showed him what it is to b strong. He still doesn't know how Fairy Tail will give him these lost feelings, but at least he will have the liberty to discover the past.

...

"I am back!" Makarov announced with a grin as he pushed the guild doors.

Everyone looked at the Fairy Tail guild master with glee. Children at Kurito's age ran to him and chocked him in a bone crushing group hug.

"Welcome back, gramps!" A boy wearing nothing but boxers exclaimed.

"GRAY YOUR CLOTHES!" A scarlet-haired girl wearing an armor yelled.

"Old man, fight me!" A boy with pink hair said with a toothy grin.

The scarlet-haired girl hit the boy on is head, rendering him unconscious. "This is Master! Control your behavior!"

"H-Hai, Erza..." The boy muttered in pain.

"Natsuuuu, don't die! Who will buy me fish now!" A blue talking cat wailed while standing on top of the unconscious boy's body.

"WHAT A CHEAP FRIENDSHIP!" Everyone around him exclaimed in shock.

Kurito sweatdropped. That wasn't what he excepted from a wizards guild. Makarov said that it was something akin to a family, but Kurito excepted a more professional environment.

"Brats, meet Kurito Arouna! Starting today, he's going to be your friend!" Makarov exclaimed while pointing at Kurito.

The young Arouna felt pressured as the attention of the guild members shifted to him. The boy named Natsu grinned at him. "You look strong! Fight me!"

Kurito looked at him confusedly. "You want me to fight you?"

Natsu nodded as his fists lit up in flames. "I'm fired up!" He exclaimed as he jumped at Kurito.

Erza was about to stop Natsu, but the master prevented her. He wanted to see Kurito's power by himself.

Kurito's eyes sharpened as he dodged Natsu's flaming fists. Natsu jumped back and inhaled. "Fire Dragon's..."

 _Wait he uses Dragon Slayer Magic too?_ Kurito thought in shock.

"ROAR!" Natsu exhaled a powerful fireball at Kurito.

"Force Dragon's Iron Fist!" A glowing blue sphere covered Kurito's hand as he punched the fireball away, sending it flying to the roof and exploding, creating a hole.

Everyone, including Makarov, gaped at Kurto in shock. Sure, they heard of the Arouna Clan, but for a mere 14 years old boy to be a dragon slayer was unexpected.

Natsu had a shocked look on his face. "Y-You're a dragon slayer?"

Kurito nodded. "As you are."

Natsu grinned as flames covered his entire body. "Now I'm really fired up!" He exclaimed.

Kurito looked at Natsu in surprise. "Surely you should've noticed the difference between us."

"Yeah, that's why I wanna beat ya!" Natsu dashed at Kurito. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

 _Fast!._ Kurito thought as Natsu headbutted him, sending flying back and crashing onto the wall.

Everyone stared at the Fire Dragon Slayer in amazement. Erza huffed at the destruction Natsu caused while Mirajane scoffed. Laxus stared with a bored expression.

Makarov sighed. Well, guess this destruction was his own fault.

Suddenly, Kurito stood up, surprising everyone. His eyes were closed and his chest was naked thank to Natsu's attack burning it.

"No way! That was my strongest attack!" Natsu exclaimed.

Kurito opened his eyes, making everyone gasp. Even Laxus's brows furrowed.

Kurito eyes color turned from onyx to bloody red. He smirked at Natsu. "Guess I'll have to show you my strongest attack."

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts: Azure Essence, Exploding Thunder Blade!" Kurito exclaimed as two big, blue magic spheres covered his fists. He dashed at Natsu, who was still shocked by the Arouna's power. Kurito swiped his arms in a circular fashion, creating a powerful, and highly destructive torrent of lightning that barraged Natsu.

Everyone stared at shock. Some stared in fear.

"Why are you interfering?" Kurito said as the smoke cleared, revealing Laxus, who stood in front of Natsu, protecting him from the blast. Laxus wasn't damaged by the attack, not even slightly.

"I just thought that this party is fun. Do you mind if I join?" Laxus smirked as lightning started to crack around him.

"Laxus.." Natsu muttered.

"This guy is stronger than you. I don't know what are you thinking when you attack this and that." Laxus sighed.

"Umm, Master, aren't you stopping them?" Erza asked, standing beside Makarov. "I mean, this could lead to bankruptcy."

Makarov gave a pervy smile. "Oh, don't you worry. Thanks to Mirajane, we will have what's enough to fix any future destruction thee brats cause." His expression turned serious as he looked between his grandson and Kurito. "Besides, it's about time I see how powerful those two are."

"Well, let us see how much these eyes can shine." Laxus said as lightning started to crack around him.

"You're underestimating me. I'll try to make sure the weather is better today." Kurito smirked as he unleashed his light blue dragon slayer magic aura.

Laxus grinned. "Now you're speaking my language."

 _Both are strong, there is no doubt about it._ Erza thought with a calculating gaze.

Fairy Tail's tomboy, Mirajane, watched the battle from the bar. A worried look on her face. Natsu had already left the battlefield and was now standing beside Erza, Makarov, Gray, and Levy, who all gave looks of amazement at the powers display n front of them.

Suddenly, both mages dashed at each other. Kurito's calm gaze against Laxus's excited one.

"Force Dragon's Iron Fist! **"** Kurito exclaimed as his fist was engulfed in a blue, shining sphere.

Laxus's fist was clad in lightning as their fists collided, creating a small explosion inside the guild. The flying debris and dust made everyone cover their eyes.

When the dust cleared, everyone could see that both mages fists connected to each others faces. They jumped back before rushing at each other.

"HAAAAAAHHHHH!" Both mages roared as their fists and kicks collided. Everyone watched in amazement. The action was a little hard to follow.

Laxus moved to punch Kurito, but the latter pushed his fist away before elbowing him in the chest, causing Laxus to cough. Kurito then followed it with a kick to the blonde-haired teen's abdomen, pushing him back. Laxus took Kurito by surprise by grabbing his leg and smirking. "Mind if I take a swing?"

Laxus started spinning before throwing the Force Dragon Slayer at the wall and following it with a lightning bolt attack.

When the smoke cleared, Kurito stood up, a bruise on his chest.

"Looks like the weather is not sunny." Laxus mocked.

Kurito gritted his teeth. "Not for you." He powered up his magic while activating his Shinigami Eyes, a blue flame-like aura around him.

He dashed at Laxus in an incredible speed, shocking Laxus and everyone.

"Force Dragon's Spear Horn!" Blue light engulfed Kurito as he headbutted Laxus in the abdomen, sending the latter flying back and slamming into the wall.

The power of Kurito's attack caused Laxus shirt to tatter. Laxus stood up and groaned in pain.

"If you focus on hitting me as much as you focus on the weather, you would've at least defended." Kurito taunted with a smirk.

A vein popped on Laxus's forehead. "Don't push on your luck."

Laxus stood up and powered up. "Let me show you how I fight while using my full power."

Mirajane eyes widen. _He wants to use that spell!_?

Kurito smiled in excitement. "That's more like it."

Lightning cracked violently around Laxus's body. Everyone eyes widen at the S-Class mage's power, including Makarov. _To know that he became this strong...damn you, Ivan._

"Lightning Drive!" Laxus chanted as his lightning aura intensified, causing everyone to cover their eyes.

Kurito's Shinigami Eyes glowed. _If he's getting that strong, I have no choice. Himiko, Ryouko, watch over me._

"Shinigami Burst!" Kurito chanted as a crimson red aura emitted around him. "X1!" The crimson red aura got bigger and took a flame like appearance.

 _If keeps up training, this brat is going to become an S-Class in no time._ Makarov thought as he watched Kurito. _But it's about time I stop this. They are getting overexcited._

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts: Big Bang Fist!" Kurito exclaimed as a big, blue sphere covered his fist.

"Drag-" Laxus was about to announce his attack until Makarov punched the ground, creating a golden magic circle under the entire guild.

Everyone, including Laxus and Kurito covered their eyes. When the light was gone, every damage caused by their fight was fixed. Laxus and Kurito noticed that even their clothes were back. They even noticed that their magic power was back to normal.

"What the.." Kurito begin.

"Fuck?" Laxus completed as he looked at his hands.

Everyone at the guild noticed that. "Oi, old man, if you can fix everything, then why bother stopping us?" Kurito asked.

Makarov hit both Kurito and Laxus on their heads, causing big, red bumps to come out. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

Makarov raised his fist in anger. "Because of you, brats, I would've gotten a magic deficiency disease!"

"Magic deficiency?"

" Wait, did you...you used illusion magic?" Laxus questioned in surprise.

Makarov nodded. "On the entire guild."

"EEEEHHHHHHHHHH!?" The entire guild yelled in shock.

"That's not fair, old man!" Natsu protested. "Aye!" Happy said in the same protesting manner.

"I knew that something was fishy." Erza sighed.

"You should thank the old man, or you would've been flattened out, flame brain." Gray commented.

Cana facepalmed. "Gray, your clothes!"

Protesting voices could be heard around the guild, making Makarov fume. He turned into his titan form, causing everyone to back away in fear.

"Any more questions, kids?" He said in a sweet, venomous voice.

"N-No..."

"Kurito, to my office. You're getting a guild stamp."

'What? But I didn't even-" Kurito was about to protest, but Makarov stomped on the floor, causing the guild to shake.

"I don't think I heard you, boy."

"Y-Yes, sir." Kurito saluted before running to Makarov's office.

Makarov returned to his original form. He rubbed massaged his shoulder and sighed. "Damn, taking care of you brats is a handful."

...

"Well, brat, welcome to Fairy Tail." Makarov said with a smile.

Kurito crossed his arms and grunted. "Your welcome for forcing me to, old man."

"What do you think of the guild until now?" Makarov asked, ignoring the Arouna's comment.

"To be honest, it's too early to decide, but it's not good knowing that I will be in a place where everyone throws a punch randomly." Kurito said.

Makarov rolled his eyes. "You came in your first day and tried to hit one of the guild members and fought my stupid grandson. Throwing punches at everyone is a trait everybody in this guild shares. Must be fate."

"Wait, Laxus is your grandson?" Kurito asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and you still have to meet his father." Makarov said. "Anyway, welcome to the club, boy. You're officially a Fairy Tail member. You can go to missions and make friends, but please try not to punch anyone. It will take my life savings to fix what these brats break."

Kurito smirked. "No promises."

"One more question, Kurito. You could've refused to join, why?"

Kurito looked down in thought at Makarov's question. Why did he join? He had many logical reasons, but those reasons could've been found anywhere.

"I will have higher chances in finding Izura that way and I will need a starting point. I don't have anywhere else to go." He looked up at Makarov with a serious look. "Isn't that enough?"

Makarov looked at the boy softly. "Is there a chance that you will see it as your family?"

Kurito looked at Makarov coldly. "The only family I had is dead. All that's left is an ambition." He said before turning to leave the office.

Makarov sighed. He moved his hand and opened a his drawer. He grabbed a picture and looked at it in nostalgia.

"I will follow your will, old friend."

* * *

"We're back." Erza said as she entered the guild with Kurito behind her.

"Oh, you're back, Erza! You too, brat." Gildarts said from his seat at the bar.

"You know that calling her by her name and calling him brat counts as racism, right?" Laxus said as he sweatdropped.

As Erza and Kurito reached the bar, the black haired boy rolled his eyes. "Are you sure that its not because this guy is a massive pervert?"

"Hey, I'm not a pervert, I'm a player." Gildarts retorted in denial.

"Yeah, and Laxus can punch like a man." Kurito said sarcastically.

Laxus zipped Kurito, making Kurito shriek. "Oh, that was cute." Laxus grinned.

Kurito fumed. "Why you son of-"

"Hey, stop you two! You'll damage the guild hall again!" Erza stood between the two teenagers.

In the last three months, Kurito managed to fit in Fairy Tail. He created a rivalry with Laxus and managed to partner Erza Scarlet.

"Aniki!"

And he managed to get a special bond with someone...

Kurito felt a warm feeling in his chest. He turned to his caller and gave a soft smile. "What is it, Natsu?"

Natsu hopped in front of the Arouna with a wide grin. "I finally mastered the Sword Horn!"

Kurito patted Natsu's head. "That's great. I am proud of you. Did you remember to take a solo mission?"

Natsu pouted. "No, I don't want that."

Kurito sighed. Natsu was being thick-headed as always. Ever since he arrived at Fairy Tail, the pink haired boy has been asking to fight Kurito. Kurito, annoyed by Natsu's demands, accepted. And of course, Kurito won with one hit.

That day, Natsu told Kurito about his powers and his history. He told him about Igneel and how he was trying to find him. Kurito would be lying if he said he didn't feel close to the boy, but something inside told him that Natsu is important to him. He didn't understand this feeling, and he knew that he would pay for it later, just his clan's massacre, but he followed it.

 _"How did you get strong?"_

He remembered looking at the clear blue sky and asking himself, was he really strong? Maybe it has something to do with the training he got at Rivelia or his power as a Dragon Slayer.

Finally, he found the answer.

 _"Listen, Natsu, there is only two ways of becoming strong. Either love or hate. Either want to destroy or want to protect. When you find someone or something you want to protect, you will have an ambition. That ambition is the center of your power._

He remembered looking at Natsu, and surprisingly, the boy had a toothy grin on his face.

 _"Then I will protect you, Erza, that jerk Gray, and Fairy Tail! That would mean that I became stronger than you. And then, I will fight you and beat you!"_

When he looked at Natsu, he remembered himself a not so long while ago.

 _He chuckled. "Then I will have no choice but to keep an eye on you."_

And that's when they sworn their brotherhood, without ale of course. It's illegal.

Well, back to the present

"You need to learn how to take missions alone, or else you will be depending on certain people's power you wont be able to progress." Kurito said.

"But it's more fun to take it with more people, Aniki. It's always me and Happy." Natsu said before cutely looking down.

Aw, his poor little brother most been feeling lonely.

"But it's okay. As long as I have Aniki, then it is okay!" Natsu said as he looked up, smiling gleefully at Kurito.

 _BA-DUMP!_

"Did your heart skip a beat?" Laxus asked with a wide, mocking grin.

"Shut up, scarface." Kurito growled in embarrassment.

"That's cute, Kurito-san!" Levy, who was sitting on a nearby table, stated. Her eyes sparkling as if she is reading a novel.

Kurito facepalmed. "Thank you, Levy, but I'll appreciate it if you didn't say it that loud."

"That flame boy is really strange. He was being pummeled by Kurito not so long ago and now their brothers?" Gray sighed.

Cana smirked. "Oh, look at the poor ice boy, lost and forgotten."

"THAT'S NOT IT!"

"It is admirable that you got brotherly affection to someone, Kurito." Erza said with a proud smile.

Kurito rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks mom."

"I'M NOT THAT OLD! HOW RUDE!"

From Fairy Tail Second floor, Makarov, with Porlyusica standing beside him, smiled down at his children. He felt happy that Kurito managed to somehow forget about his clan's massacre.

"It's admirable how your brats managed to get close to that brat." Porlyusica pointed out, smiling slightly.

"I'm happy. I just hope he doesn't get any freaky ideas."

"Oh, don't worry. He will get there once he stays long enough in this guild." Porlyusica chuckled.

"Oh, I'm not sure about that, granny. Craziness is an art, after all." Poryusica's smile fell. She turned to glare hatefully at the voice source.

Makarov's smile also fell, but he didn't turn. He just stood silently, ignoring the person's presence.

"Ivan.."

Ivan Dreyar, Makarov's son and Laxus's father grinned at Porlyusica. "This guild is starting to get more like nature reserve."

"Yeah, but sadly, it has someone who would we all be better if he's extinct." Poryusica replied sharply.

"Oh, talk about the granny with a sharp tongue." Ivan laughed. Ivan focused his eyes on Makarov's back. "Listen, father. We all have these peaceful times that makes us happy and well, but these times will not make us forget who we are. This boy's past is stained with darkness and bloodshed. Someday, he will accept this nature, and you will be the first to pay the price."

Porlyusica clicked her tongue, knowing that is she didn't stop, she would wipe the floor with him.

Makarov sighed. "Is it true?"

Porlyusica looked at Makarov in confusion while Ivan brows furrowed. "What, father?"

"I don't think it's true that the past make a person's personality, or future. The past is meant to make you learn how to deal with the future and make you stronger to face it. Everyone here are victims of the past, even me." Makarov said, not taking his eye off Kurito. Porlyusica looked down in sadness.

Makarov smiled. "That's why he came here. He wanted to forget. He wanted to learn how to move on and create a future. Not only for him, but for those who he lost. And it will make him a better person. Better than you."

Porlyusica smiled at Makarov. Looks like wisdom comes with old age.

A vein popped in Ivan's forehead as he turned to leave. "You'll see.


	4. Her feelings, his secrets

Hey guys! Long time no see. Anyways, chapter 4 is here! I know that it took sometime but I promise that chapter 5 will be up shortly.

ENJOYY!

* * *

Erza Scarlet was an energetic, serious, and strong-willed. She came to the guild to start a new life. Her childhood wasn't the best, she knew that, but she hoped that her new found ability to use magic would help her start a new a new life and create a future.

She was happy when she found it that she wasn't alone. There were other kids at her age that suffered as much as she did. What made her more happy that they all shared the same goal. It made her feel a feeling that was so foreign to her...

A family.

On the other side, was her partner and one of the most talented mages in the guild, Kurito Arouna. He believed that the guild can be something to live for, but refused to see it as a family. She doesn't know much about his past, but considering the way everyone looks at him once he says his name, it must be something important.

He was a strange guy. He liked to stay positive and smile, but in the same time, he had that mysterious aura around him. He is kind, strong and talented. Somehow, she was a little jealous of him. People viewed him as a powerful mage for his age, especially Master Makarov. She gave a little pout as she remembered that he was on of the S-Class candidates this year.

"Erza?" The familiar voice of her partner snapped her of her thoughts. She remembered that she was sitting at one of the guild's booths. She looked up to find her partner, Kurito, looking at her in confusion.

"You seem to be have forgotten your brain in the bed today." Kurito said. "What's wrong?"

Erza was taken back, surprised at seeing her partner this early in the morning. "U-Um, i-it's nothing. I think I didn't get much sleep yesterday." Erza stated with a nervous smile.

Kurito suddenly smirked, making Erza raise an eyebrow. "Oh, I see what's happening."

"W-What?"

Kurito's smirk turned into a grin. "You're mad that I was chosen for the S-Class trials and you haven't."

Erza blinked twice. _That's what he thought about? And he's supposed to be smart._

"It's not good to ignore your senpai's words, kouhai." Kurito said with a grin.

Erza sighed. _At least he didn't see through me. But his kind of right.._

"Well, I think it's unfair." Erza said, crossing her arms. "I go with you on every mission, and yet you get to enter the trials." She huffed.

Kurito looked up in thought. "To be fair, I take some solo missions. Not to mention that you nearly killed that man at the bakery."

"He stomped on my strawberry cake!"

"And I get to become an S-Class while you still threaten to kill anyone who touch your cake." Kurito deadpanned. "See, it's easy to understand."

Erza glared. "I hate how you act with superiority."

Kurito shrugged. "I am superior."

"Aniki!" Both mages turned their heads to find Natsu running to them with Happy in tow.

Kurito smiled softly. "Hey, brat. How was your sleep?" He ruffled Natsu hair.

Natsu grinned. "It was great! Now I'm fired up!"

"Thinking about it, why arent you asking for a fight?" Erza asked Natsu in puzzlement.

Natsu grinned. "That's why I want to go on a mission. I want to get stronger to beat you and Aniki."

Erza smiled. "You finally found the right way."

"But I will have some warm up!" Natsu jumped at Erza. "Erza, fight me!"

BAMP!

Erza sighed in annoyance as her fist connected to Natsu's chin, sending him flying through the roof.

"You're even a worse role model than Gildarts." Erza said, looking at Kurito.

"Don't put me in the same league as that pervert. At least my heart is pure." Kurito said.

"Pure?"

Kurito grinned. "Pure unadulterated badass."

Erza rolled her eyes. "More like pure unadulterated ego."

"Your just mad you're not becoming an S-Class!" Kurito stated, pointing a finger at Erza.

BAMP!

Kurito wailed painfully as a big red bump came out on his head. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

Erza had a tick mark on her forehead. "Listen, and listen carefully," she pointed a finger at Kurito. "I will take so many jobs that even my own shadow wouldn't be able to see me! I will get to the S-Class trial and I will surpass you! Mark my words!" Erza said in a challenging attitude. Kurito was taken back by her sudden attitude.

"Now excuse me." Erza huffed as she turned to leave.

Kurito stared at the back of the retreating Requip mage, completely taken back by her bold statement. He was always in good terms with Erza, she was the most person he talked with. Well, he talked and chatted with everyone, but Erza was closer to him.

"Wow, girls..." Laxus popped on his side.

"Yeah...WHEN THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE!"

 **THE GUILD'S BACKYARD:**

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted as his fist connected to Kurito's, pushing the latter a few steps back.

"Nice one, Natsu. Force Dragon Claw!" Blue, glowing magic covered Kurito's right leg. He jumped at Natsu, trying to land a kick, but Natsu jumped away, causing to come in contact with the ground, creating a crater.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu fired a torrent of flames at Kurito, catching him off guard.

 _Shit! I guess I have no choice._ Kurito thought as his pupils turned bloody red.

"Shinigami Burst!" A flame like crimson aura appeared around Kurito's body, making his hair flail.

"Force Dragon's Iron Fist!" Kurito dashed and punched through the flames. Natsu's eyes widen at Kurito's power as his flames disperse.

Natsu closed his eyes bracing himself for the hit. _Aniki sure is strong._

Natsu slowly opened his eyes as he didn't feel any pain. He found Kurito smiling down at him. The Arouna placed his hand on top of his sworn brother's head.

"One day, you'll surpass me. The fact that you didn't ran away from a hit proves it. Never give up, Natsu. Remember that I'll be always watching over you. Never give up because the ones that accomplish something are the fools who keep pressing forward, and the ones that don't accomplish are the wise who cease advancing."

Natsu's face was covered in a deep blush. He could feel his face heating up in embarrassment. The feeling of getting a compliment from his brother was great for the young Dragon Slayer.

"Y-Y-Yes, Onii-san." He stuttered with out thinking, shocking the Arouna.

Kurito blushed. "S-Say that again?"

Natsu's tilted his head in confusion. "Say what?"

"What you just said."

"I said yes."

"No, what you said aft- oh forget about it." Kurito sighed. _He looked...cute._

"Aniki, I wanted to ask you something." Natsu said.

"What is it?"

"What is that technique? You did it when you fought Laxus months ago." Natsu asked.

 _What is he talking about? oh, I see what he means._

"It's the Shinigami Burst. It's a spell that multiplies the user's magic, increasing his speed, strength, senses, and magic enabling him to inflect serious damage over those who are stronger than him." Kurito stated. "It's a trump card, but such spell has serious flows."

"Like what?" Natsu asked, intrigued.

"It takes a heavy toll on the user's body, making him vulnerable for his enemy's attack. If the user multiple his magic too much, the magic could obliterate his body, or severely damage their bodies." Kurito explained.

"But you used it just now without anything happening to you." Natsu questioned.

Kurito smiled. "Because the spell requires a lot of stamina, I trained my body physically. That's why I can control it, for now. But that doesn't mean it's safe. It's still dangerous to use such spell."

Natsu's eyes sparkled. "Can I try it?"

Kurito sighed at his sworn brother's idiocy. "No, it's too dangerous for you to do it. Besides, I've been told that only members of my clan can do it."

"But you don't know if it's right or not!" Natsu interjected. "Let me try it! It'll make me stronger and become a trump card for me."

"Nats-"

"Pleaassse?"

"No."

"Pretty pleeeeaaassse?" Natsu begged with puppy dog eyes.

 _Shit. I hope we don't regret that._ Kurito thought. "Okay, close your eyes."

Nastu did as he was told. "Now, try feeling the nature's energy around you."

Natsu took a deep breath and started feeling the nature magic power, a green aura started surrounding him. "I feel...tingly."

"It's ethernano. It's the source of life and magic in any living being." Kurito stated.

"Now, try powering up, slowly."

Natsu took a deep breath and started unleashing his magic power. "The moment the tingly feeling stops, unleash your entire power in one go."

Minutes passed, until the awaited moment came. "HAAAAAAAH!" Natsu shouted as he clenched his fists. He opened his eyes as flames erupted around and flames surrounded his body.

 _I see. His magic is trying to multiple, but it isn't finding a way. In order to complete it, he needs another source of power. His magic container, even if it's big thanks to his dragon slayer magic, is not enough._ Kurito thought.

"Shinigami Burst!" Natsu chanted, shocking Kurito.

A crimson flame like aura surrounded Natsu's body. His magic power increased considerably.

 _H-H-He actually did it!_ _But how? I thought only Arounas can do it. Hell, we were the ones that created it in the first place!._ Kurito thought, looking at Natsu in awe.

Suddenly, the aura around Natsu died down, leaving the boy panting. Natsu grinned tiredly. "I-I...can...beat...you...now."

He fell on the ground unconscious. Kurito dashed to his side and sighed in relief as he saw that the Fire Dragon Slayer fell asleep. _Trying to learn the spell must've wore him off. Thank god his alive._ Kurito thought.

He played with His sworn brother's spiky hair. He smiled at the peaceful look on his face. _I still have to know how he managed to do it, but for now, I think it'll be better if I just...watched over him._

Little did he know, at the back door of the guild, Laxus, Makarov, and Gildarts looked at him with a smile on their faces.

"You still have to scold him for teaching Natsu that spell." Gildarts said.

Makarov chuckled. "I know, but for now, I want him to enjoy that moment."

"Don't be like that, Gramps. The fact that he's training means that I will enjoy kicking his ass in the trails." Laxus commented with a smirk.

"There is no guarantee that he will face you. This kid makes an interesting opponent." Gildarts said. "I look forward to seeing him pass."

"I still have to call back the rest S-Class mages." Makarov said. _And something tells me that you're thinking about something...Ivan._

 **AWAY FROM THE GUILD:**

Ivan stood in a forest, several dead bodies around him. He smirked a malicious smirk.

"I feel sorry for these guys. But now, I have the information I need to get what I want." He gave a sinister laugh.

"Kurito-chan equals money-chan!"

* * *

 **INSIDE THE GUILD:**

Erza sat on one of the bar stools. She was having a conversation with Levy, Cana, and Mirajane.

"So who do you guys think will become the next S-Class?"

"Well, I dunno. This year seems tough." Mira shrugged.

"I think Alzack will do it. After all, Bisca wished him good luck." Cana said with a giggle.

Erza chuckled. "As much as I'll to admit that it's cute, S-Class trials are more than just luck."

Mirajane grinned. "Oh, I'm sure that Kurito will do it. Since he doesn't want your eyes to fall on him, _kouhai._ "

Erza blushed, the color of her face rivaling her hair. "It-it's not what you think!" She retorted, raising her hands in a defensive gesture.

"Hohoho, are you the latest bloomer, Erza?" Mirajane asked with a sly smile.

"It's logical." Levy stated with a thoughtful expression. "You spend time with him the most."

"If that's logical then Mira is dating Laxus." Erza said with a smirk.

Mira blushed adorably. 'W-W-What are you saying you stupid bitch!?" she stammered.

"Well, Laxus is handsome. Many girls would find him appealing." Bisca said as she took a stool and sat in front of the girls.

"If you weren't dating Alzack, I would've said you like him." Cana said.

Bisca shrugged. "Alzack is enough for me. I was just applauding Mira for her choice."

"I DON'T LIKE HIM!"

"Fine, fine, but let me give this advice girls. In order to befriend guys, you will need two things. A pretty face and to make him trust you. For example, if you ask him about his past, he will never answer you unless you speak about yours." Bisca stated before she stood up and left.

Erza zoned out and ignored the voices around her. She thought about Kurito. He was kind, strong, and a talented mage. She hated the mysterious aura around him because it made her think about distrusting him.

She sighed. She didn't know why her thoughts were occupied be the Arouna. She felt a connection between them, and maybe being his partner made her want to be close to him.

She stood up, ignoring the questions of her friends and marched to Kurit's table. She found him chatting with a giddy Natsu and a naked Gray.

"Kurito." She called as she stood up in front of him.

He smiled. "Hey partner. I was just thinking about going on a mission."

Erza slammed her palms on the table, scaring Gray and Natsu and surprising Kurito.

"Scratch that, let's go on a date."

* * *

So what do you think? Good or bad? Tell me in the reviews! Your words will help me make this story better. If you like it, a fav and follow will keep you up with the story.

Ja Ne, Mina!


	5. The feeling called Peace

**Hello there guys! Long time no see. The days after graduation are busy as hell. I finally managed to write this chapter. I am feeling that everbody doesn't get the story or that there are things that confused you. If that's the case, then don't hesitate to tell me, either through reviews or PM.**

 **The ages of the characters are the same as the previous chapters The next three chapters will come in week's time and will finish Kurito's past Arc. I know that it's taking too long, but I needed to make everything clear before we start the real parts of the story.**

 **P.S: Just because it's ending doesn't mean I'll stop.**

 **Don't forget to give me your feedbacks!**

* * *

Kurito was looking around him uncomfortably. Today he is going on a date with Erza. The Arouna and every Fairy Tail memeber were shocked by the red head's inventition. He certainly didn't want to remember how his guildmates teased him., especially Laxus.

Thinking back, Kurito didn't know what he was supposed to do on a date, let alonethe first one. Sure, he's a teenager and he is in the age to do these things, but it never crossed his mind. He always focused on his career as a mage and his ambition.

Now he must stand here Fairy Hills and wait for her without looking suspicious.

"The hell you want, boy?"

And he already failed.

He turned to look at the door of the dorm to find Hilda, the dorm mother, scowling at him.

"The hell is your busniness, old lady?"

Hilda groaned. "Don't think that just because your one of Makarov's brats I will not call the Rune Knights."

"What are you doing here by the way? Aren't you supposed to be at the guild with the other kids?" Hilda asked.

A tick mark apperead on Kurito's forehead. "I'm not a kid, old hag. I'm an S-Class candidtate."

Hilda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, It seems you learned some of Makarov's bullshit."

"Whatever. Where is Erza?"

Hilda's brows furrowed. "For what?"

Kurito shrugged. "I don't know. She said we are going on a date."

Hilda blinked once, then twice. "Say it again, boy. I think Imay have gotten old."

"We are going on a date."

Hilda's eyes widen in shock. "The hell! You two are too young to do these things!"

Kurito blushed. "W-W-What the hell are you thinking about ? You pervy hag!"

"I knew it! Makarov is teaching his childfren this man whoring ways!"

"What's going on?" Erza asked as she walked out of dorm

Hilda looked down at Erza. "Child, do you have any idea about what are you going to do?"

Erza tilted her head to the side. "I'm going on a date."

"Do you know what that means?"

Erza nodded. "Going with a comrade and bounding."

Hilda jaw dropped. _She doesn't understand what a date is_. She turned to look at Kurito. _Not even this brat!_

"Okay, I'll see you later Hilda!" Erza waved before leaving with Kurito.

Hilda sighed as she watched the young couples walk away. "That girl has suffered enough. I hope she doesn't get herself in more trouble."

* * *

Erza walked with Kurito to the park in an awkward silence. She started to fidget a little. She blushed when she remembered that dates are the meetings of two persons in love, but she knows that it was the only way she can draw her stubborn partner. Sure, it embarrassed her to go on a date, but she was really curious about Kurito's past and personality.

"So," Kurito spoke, making Erza gasp in startlement. "Where are we going?" He looked away and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Erza took a deep, relaxing breath. "I have prepared a picnic."

Kurito grinned. "Awesome! But wait..." He suddenly frowned, looking at her from head to toe, making her fidget. "You're going to a picnic with this."

She looked dow at her armor with a confused look. "Oh, don't worry. I've brought an outfit just for today." She stepped back from Kurito and began to glow a bright yellow, bright like the sun to be exact.

 _ **Re-Quip**_

She glowed even brighter as she was overtaken by magical power, which transformed her armor into something more appropriate for the day ahead.

Kurito covered his eyes from the brightness, but when he looked back he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Erza, who rarely disrobed from her Heart Kreuz unless it was time for battle, was now adorned in a flowing white sun dress which stopped just above her ankles. Her brown boots had been replaced with wedged sandals, and placed on random parts of the sundress were a pattern of scarlet roses which made her hair long red hair, which was now tied at the end, stand out even more vibrantly.

When Kurito looked up at the top of the supposed stranger's head, he saw a tan colored sun hat with a black ribbon tied in a bow around it.

Kurito was taken aback at the sudden shift in his friend's appearance. He didn't know what to say. He was speechless, which never happens with him, but one thing was for sure; Erza in this moment looked…

"Beautiful." He said under his breath without realizing it.

Erza caught the faint noise from Kurito's mouth and blushed. "What…What did you say?"

Kurito's eyes widen as he realized what he said. He blushed and looked away. "I-I-It's nothing. Let's go."

Erza smiled softly at him. "Yes. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and the two began to walk to where Erza had set up the picnic basket.

After walking for a few minutes the two found themselves in a huge, lush, green field on the outskirts of Magnolia. Next to a large tree that seemed to endlessly stretch into the sky, was their picnic basket. Kurito, seeing the basket, eagerly ran ahead literally salivating at the thought of food.

"Kurito, wait!" Erza yelled as she watched him run off, reaching out her hand. However as she watched him run towards the tree she couldn't help but smile. Even if a bit cold, she always admired Kurito's straightforward and innocent nature. She gripped the hand that Kurito had held onto earlier and blushed. If their guildmates saw them right now, they would be surprised to see things moving quickly beetwen them. Erza was embarrassed as hell in this situation. Everyone sees Kurito as a serious boy. He would prefer going in a mission than spending time with his friends, but she knows him better than anyone. She saw the brotherly affection he had for Natsu, even though they are sworn brothers. She saw the look of excitement in his eyes when Laxus would challenge him. She would catch his sarcasim towards her or anyone in the guild. She could see that he was glad he's alive. She smiled at her hand and ran after him.

Erza arrived at the tree and saw Kurito sitting there quietly waiting for her. "What's wrong?" She inquired.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just thought it would be wrong to start without you." He smiled. Erza once again smiled and kneeled next to the basket.

"Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. Let's eat."

She opened the picnic basket, and Kurito sat on edge growing more and more anxious as she pulled the food inside out. Noodles that glistened like gold, pure white rice, and piles upon piles of meat. Kurito's drool was literally drenching his shirt. Seeing this, Erza began to giggle at the Dragon Slayer. Kurito then looked at her, as if asking for permission to accept this wondrous bounty.

"It's ok, you can eat." she said smiling warmly.

So happy that he was given the ok, Kurito didn't waste a moment as he started to ingest the food like a wild animal. Seeing him so happy about her food made Erza giggle a bit more. Noticing this, Kurito looked up, his mouth stuffed with food.

"What's so funny Erza?" He asked

"It's nothing, keep eating."

"You're not going to eat?"

"No, I'm fine." She replied, reaching her hand towards Kurito and wiping a piece a meat off of his messy face.

"Oh, umm, ok." Kurito said, blushing as her soft hand rubbed across his face. He then continued to eat. Erza contently watching him. She knows that Kurito has an appetite. She wondered if Natsu learned this from him or if it was something normal for Dragon Slayers.

After a few more minutes, Kurito happily laid down in the grass while rubbing his stomach. "Man, that was good, Thanks for the food Erza." He said smiling at her.

Erza blushed hearing this, no one had ever thanked her for making food for them before, probably because Kurito was the only person she had ever cooked for. It felt…nice.

"You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad you liked it." She smiled at him warmly, catching Kurito off guard. He'd never seen this side of Erza before.

The two sat in content silence before Erza coughed. "Can I ask you something?"

Kurito looked at his partner in puzzlement. "Sure."

Erza took a deep breath. "What happened to you...before you arrived at Fairy Tail?"

Her breath hitched as she saw Kurito's face darkening. She cursed herself for being an idiot. They were both having a good time.

But she couldn't help herself. She cares about him. She needs to know more about him.

She swallowed. "I was living in a town when everything happened." She said, making his ears perk.

"It happened in a whim. Dark mages burned down my village and killed everyone. They abducted the children around my age and took them to a place called the Tower of Heaven." She could feel her voice cracking but she swallowed again before continuing.

"We were enslaved by the dark mages. One day, I planned to escape with my friends at the tower, but we were spotted." She took a deep breath to stop her tears from falling. "One of my friends stood up to take the blame, but the guards recognized me as the mastermind. They took me to the chamber. I...lost my right eye." Erza raised her hand to touch her right cheek, her fingers close to her eye. She didn't notice the tears falling from her left eye.

That's when Kurito realized that the world didn't revolve around him.

 _Fairy Tail is full of mystery._ He remembered Makarov's words. He watched Erza shed tears and that's when he understood why this guild is special.

He felt shock, realization, and surprisingly, jealousy. He sometimes would still remember that gloomy night, and would always activiate his Shinigami Eyes in rage. Every member in the guild had similar past to Erza, but they would laugh, fight, eat and enjoy their lives at its fullest while he was strangled by his hatred and past.

He didn't know when it happened, but he found his arms around Erza, hugging her and burying her head in his chest.

At that moment, he knew that Erza Scarlet was stronger than him.

* * *

During his early years as a Fairy Tail member, Kurito Arouna trained and became one of its strongest members, alongside his partner, Erza Scarlet and the master's grandson, Laxus Dreyar.

He was currently laying under a tree, enjoying the nice weather. He sensed a familiar presence and sighed.

"What do you want, Erza?"

The redhead frowned as she stood above. "You don't look like someone who had an S-Class exam last week."

Kurito rose to a setting position. "Is it because you didn't participate?" The boy said with a small smirk.

Erza huffed. "It got nothing to do with that! Besides, the master said that I will be participating in the next exam."

"To me, it may finally prove that I'm stronger than Laxus." Kurito said.

Erza sighed. "Can you forget about you're childish rivalry? You're going to get your ass kicked if you don't train."

Kurito smiled in amusement. "The great Erza is worried about me? I'm flattered."

The scarlet-haired beauty blushed. "D-Don't say stupid things, idiot!"

Kurito laughed. "Don't worry, I already trained for the my first mission. Besides, being a dragon slayer will give me a slight advantage."

Erza puffed her cheeks, embarrassed, making the dragon slayer chuckle. "You know the fact that I can talk to you like this makes a bit at ease."

The current color of Erza's face rivaled her hair. She didn't know what attracted her to the black-haired boy. Maybe it was their similar backgrounds, or the way he smiled at her? Or it has something to do with the way he treated as a partner? Or maybe it got something to do with that time when she ended up naked because she couldn't use her re-quip magic, and he ended up giving her his shirt so that she can cover herself.

No matter what the reason was, Erza Scarlet couldn't deny the fact that she was feeling something towards her partner.

She would always worry about him everytime he goes to a mission alone. She always would get mad when they would be walking in the town and people would whisper something about him being 'The demon clan descendant'.

What really broke her heart is that everytime they called him that, his eyes would tear a little and he would always lie and say that something got in his eye.

She heard about his story from Master Makarov. Kurito was a member of the Arouna clan, a famous clan known for their power in battle and their bloody red eyes.

Erza's past was similar to the boy's. She too lost the people that was precious, on top of that, she was betrayed be her best friend. Her heart would always clench when she remembered her past.

That's wh before she would always keep a distance between her and Kurito, she was afraid that she will be betrayed again.

"I was going to tell you something, Erza." Kurito said as he looked intensely at her.

"I'm leaving in a demon's hunting mission."

Erza eyes widen in shock. "Wh-What?"

Kurito sighed. "I'm going to hunt a demon. I've already spoke with master about it."

Erza frowned. "Then take me with you!"

"The mission is S-Class, Erza, you can't come." Kurito said coldly.

"Then I'll talk to master about it." She exclaimed stubbornly.

"No means no, Erza." Kurito said sternly.

His onyx eyes clashed with her brown ones. He can see the fiery passion inside her brown orbs. He always felt mesmerized by the fiery flames in her eyes. Those flames always felt warm to him. He always felt like Erza was special to him. Sure, he always treated his guildmates kindly, but he always treated Erza on a whole different level. Hell, he even gave her his shirt!

He always felt insecure about his feelings. He had feelings, but he never thought about using them.

He'd always chuckle at this contradiction. This girl made his emotions clash. The feelings he tried to bury in his struggle for power seemed to resurface.

He noticed that the girl's eyes are glowing noticeably. Was she crying?

He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to a tight hug.

Erza's eyes widen. Her face turned into a radioactive tomato. She could feel her eyes getting wet and mentally cursed herself. She sworn that she would never let anyone see her cry, but she always felt weak in front of the black-haired boy.

"I'm sorry. I promise that I'll be back before you know it." He said as his arms tightened around her. The scarlet-haired girl found herself returning his embrace.

"Aniki!" They could hear a little familiar voice call.

The two retreated from each other's arms and looked to find Natsu waving at them.

"The old man wants to see you! Oh, hey Erza!" The pink-haired boy exclaimed with a grin.

Kurito nodded at the boy while Erza waved back. Kurito turned to look at the redhead. "We'll talk about this later."

Kurito stood in the stage with Master Makarov beside him. The guild members were giving him a round of applause.

"Brats! We're here to cerebrate that our member, Kurito, has become the youngest ever S-Class mage in the history of Fairy Tail!"

Roars and claps could be heard through out the guild hall. Erza stood at the end of the crowd.

"Now due to the mage's request, I've chosen a specific type of missions. Our new S-Class brat here will choose between two missions that he don't know anything about. Although the type of the missions is known by him, the information about it is still classified."

Makarove presented two envelopes to Kurito. One on his right and one on the left. All the guild members were silent, waiting for the Dragon Slayer's choice.

Kurito pointed at the envelope on the left. Makarov opened it and read the paper.

He took a deep breath. "Haunt down a demon that have been terrorizing the citizens!" He exclaimed as the guild broke into cheers and roars.

Kurito smirked. "Bring it on!" The Force Dragon Slayer exclaimed.

Away from the guild, a man wearing a high-collared black robes smirked. "Let's see if you can keep up with my demons, Kurito."

Ever since he was a child, Kurito had an undying hate for demons. He swore to kill them every last one of them.

He was never afraid of death. He was only afraid that his rage will fade.

Despite being at the age of 15, he was a talented mage. Before the massacre of his clan, he was taught his Dragon Slaying Magic by the King of Force Dragons, Izurayama. He wanted to find his father, but not as much as he wanted to find a certain someone...

The Black Wizard, Zeref.

Every time he thought of him, his blood would boil and his eyes would turn red (Shingami Eyes Mode).

The Arouna clan members were one of the strongest, if not the strongest, humans alive. Their history was all about wars and battles. What made them famous was their characteristic Shinigami Eyes. Those eyes had their own magic abilities. They can strengthen one's magical power, and would give the user the ability to learn and use more than one kind of magic.

It can make Dragon Slayers master God Slaying Magic. Once mastered, the members of the clan would obtain the special Arouna Force.

He was an orphan. He never saw or met his parents. When he lived in the Arouna village, he lived in a cave close to the village with Izurayama.

He bit his lip as he remembered the gloomy night when his clan was massacred at the hands of Zeref and his demons.

He never moved through his clan's massacre. What made his anger rise was that his dragon left him before the massacre.

"Hello, earth to Kurito?" His brows furrowed as he looked up to find Erza Scarlet look at him, worry evident on her face. He remembered that he was sitting in a table inside the guild hall with the Requip mage

"Oh, hey, Erza." He tried to reply casually.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. "Your eyes..."

He raised his hand to touch his face, and found that it was wet. He also felt the power of his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and wiped his tears before giving the Requip mage a smile. "I'm fine." His eyes returned to their normal color

She knew that he lied. He felt like a jerk for giving such a cheap lie, but nobody can blame him.

"Well, when are you going to leave for your mission?" She quickly changed the subject. Kurito gave a thoughtful expression. "In 2 days, I think."

"Well, isn't it our dinosaur." A mocking voice said behind them.

Erza clicked her tongue and looked back to find Laxus Dreyar, Master Makarov's grandson, smirking at her and Kurito. "Congratulations on catching up to me and becoming an S-Class."

Kurito smirked back. "Hey, Scarface. If I wanted to catch up to you, I would've stayed an A-Class mage."

Laxus laughed and gave Kurito a challenging smirk. "Will see about that after your first mission." He said as he walked away from the two.

Erza sighed. "I really can't understand how can you stand him."

"Well, our rivalry is a professional one. Unlike you and Mira."Kurito said smirking.

Erza huffed. "My rivalry with Mira is...blaring."

"So blaring that you once knocked Master by accident?"

"That was.."

"So blaring that Macao and Wakaba stopped coming to the guild?"

"They come but you don't see them!"

Kurito smirked. "So blaring that you still have my shirt?"

Erza blushed furiously. "That has nothing to do with our rivalry!"

Kurito grinned. "Whatever you like, Scarlet."

The day after :

Kurito entered the guild and found his partner sitting in the corner of the building. He also noticed that she was...sulking.

He sat beside her. "What are you sulking about?" He asked, startling the requip mage

"I'm not sulking." She said, crossing her arms.

Kurito sighed. "Yes you are. Now tell me about it."

Erza looked down, fidgeting, then looked up at the Dragon Slayer. "Promise that you won't laugh?" Kurito nodded.

She took a deep breath. "Today our dorm lady, Hilda, our dorm lady, gave us all a jewel each. She brought a whole box of them and they were so beautiful, but we soon realized that we were one short. I didn't want to disappoint the other girls so...I ended saying that I didn't want one." She looked down, uncomfortable about telling the other teen about her feelings. "I regret it. I wish I lied."

He didn't respond for a long time, making her feel more nervous and edgy. Fidgeting with her fingers under the table, she looked up to see her partner's face. It was in a dry and unconcerned state.

"That's it? You're sad because you didn't get some piece of jewellery?"

Her mouth dropped at his bluntness. She shook her head. "No! It's not just that, but a big part of it is. It was going to be the first gift I got from her. It would've been..." She trailed off, unable to find the right words.

She finally stood up and made her way to the guild doors. "Forget it." She said, trying to be nonchalant.

"Are we still training tomorrow?' He called.

"Sure, I'll see you after lunch."

Many thoughts swirled around Kurito's head as he walked to his house. His mission was to kill a demon and he knew that it wouldn't be that easy, even if he mastered his Dragon Slaying Magic. The problem was that he didn't control the power of his eyes.

He sighed as he watched the stars twinkling in the calm night. He liked night, it made him calm.

He stopped by a jewellery shop. He felt puzzled by his sudden halt, but suddenly remembered Erza. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be soft once in a while?


	6. The 10 years quest!

Hey there guys! This is the last chapter of Kurito's story. I know that you guys have been bored because of his past, but it's necessary if you want to understand the story's future chapters. The timeline of this chapter is August 7, X779 for those who's asking. Ah, by the way, I'll be changing the name of the story from The Last Avenger to The Unique Dragon of Fairy Tail. I've been not getting any reviews for the last chapter, but I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it ;)

Have fun! I'll see you later.

* * *

There were many things Kurito knew about Erza, they were close to each other. Many would say that it was strange considering that Erza was known as the mighty Titania, and Kurito wasn't much of a talkative.

But what made them close was their similar pasts. Neither of them had a childhood. When they were kids, they were surrounded by death, blood, and pain. They considered each other strong for surviving such past.

Kurito saw Erza as someone he can lean one, and despite his closeness to the scarlet-haired teen, he could feel her hesitation about the nature of their relationship. It wasn't like they had a crush on each other, but Kurito respected that she felt this way because of her past.

He was like her after his dragon disappearance and his clan's elimination. He felt uncertain about life, people, and feelings. He was found by Master Makarov, who invited him to join Fairy Tail. At that time, Kurito didn't think about the guild or the nature of its work, he only cared about getting a warm meal and a bed to sleep in, but that changed when he grow up. He could feel rage and hatred building up slowly inside of him. Because of that incident, he awakened his Shinigami Eyes.

Kurito sighed. He was laying under a tree close to Fairy Hills, waiting for Erza. He was surprised when he knew that he waited for a full hour. He could see rain clouds gathering in the sky. No doubt that it was going to rain soon, and he didn't plan to wait any longer. He sighed again and shoved a small leather box in his pocket.

He made his way to the guild. When he entered, he noticed the gloomy silence in the hall. He looked at around the guild in confusion. He made his way to Mirajane, who sat at the bar with Levy.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"There was an accident on the roads to Magnolia." Mirajane answered.

"Our dorm lady, Hilda, died." Levy replied, sniffing. "Her carriage went off the road."

His eyes widen. "Where's Erza?"

"That idiot went charging of the roads once she got the message this morning. She hasn't returned yet." She looked away from him. "Its not like she can do anything now."

"Mira! That's not nice. Hilda was the first mother figure Erza had." Levy sniffed, tears gathering in her eyes.

Kurito broke into a run. He didn't even take an umbrella to shelter him from the rain. He used his eyes to track down Erza's magic and followed the mental map in his mind. In the end, it only took him two minutes to reach his destination. He reached a small cliff road where a wooden carriage lay in splinters at the bottom. The rain lashed from the heavens, soaking the ground and the broken machinery. Only a feet away stood Erza, her hair dripping wet, her armor sleek with the rain and shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, making her turn to look at him. Her teary eyes had a glimpse of hope in them, but soon died down. He knew that she excepted someone else. She buried her face in his chest, surprising the Dragon Slayer. He never excepted that the great Titania would be so vulnerable like this, but he felt a bit of happiness knowing that she trusted him that much. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, her head tucked under his chin as he massaged her head. He didn't say anything, neither did she. When her sobs began to quieten, he took a deep breath.

"Let's go home, Erza." He said softly.

She pulled back slightly, looking at him through red-rimmed eyes. "I don't want to go back yet."

He sighed. "Okay, but you need to wear something warm or you'll catch a cold." He took her hand without thinking. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" She asked uncertainly.

"To my place." He felt her stiffen. "Don't give me that look, I'm not going to do anything funny." He smiled. "Now wipe your tears so the townspeople don't see them. It's not befitting for the Titania to cry."

She wiped her tears and bit her lip. "Right."

Kurito could still feel her sadness, but he felt relived when she gave his hand a slight squeeze.

He thought that tears didn't suit her, but his clothes was a different matter.

She stood in front of him, her cheeks tinting red as she tugged at the him of his shirt. He thought it had been long on him, but it was like a dress on her. The blue fabric came down just above her knees. Her long red hair was half towel-dried and fell around her shoulders in crimson curls.

"Feeling better?" Kurito asked.

She made her way to him, sitting down the couch. "Sort of. Thank you."

"It's nothing." A slight pause. "Sorry about your dorm lady."

It came out sincere and it made her raise her eyes to look at him. "It's okay. Sorry for messing the training."

"Well, you just have to make it up to me." He leaned back against the couch, trying not to show his grin.

"How?" She said as she tilted her head in confusion.

He made a sound of false thinking in the back of his throat. "What can you do? How can you make it up to me?"

She gave him an unamused look. "Just say it, I know you have something for me."

He sighed. "Okay, close your eyes." She narrowed her gaze at him and he rolled his eyes. "I told you that I will not do something funny. Now close your eyes." He commanded.

"Fine." She accepted begrudgingly.

As she closed her eyes, the S-Class mage took a moment to admire her face before reaching into his pocket and taking out a small leather box. "Open your eyes." He commanded.

She opened her eyes and looked at the box with confusion. "What is this?"

"An engagement ring." He deadpanned. Erza eyes widen in surprise, making Kurito chuckle. She could be gullible some times. "Just kidding. Open them."

She opened it and small gasp escaped her lips when she saw two earrings hanging daintily in front of her. They were small and silver, shaped as dangling diamonds that kind of resembled her swords.

"They're beautiful." She said in awe, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

Kurito panicked. "Hey! I bought them for you so that you stop crying, not to-"

He was cut off when she throw her arms around his neck, hugging him with all her might. "Thank you!" She squealed in delight. The force of her body sent them sprawling backwards on the couch. His head hit the armrest, his arms encircling her waist.

He became too aware of the t-shirt riding up over her abdomen as she tried to get up off him, blushing slightly. Her hair fell around them, like a curtain blocking them from the outside word. His arms tightened around her waist, preventing her from pulling away further.

"Kurito...?" She whispered his name like it was a question, her gaze never leaving his.

"I could kiss you right now..." He trailed off, a tint of pink covering both of their cheeks.

Erza ran her tongue over her lips. "I don't think I would've stopped you."

Their gazes locked, they tried to think of their relationship. Kurito knew that he felt some kind of attraction to the scarlet-haired girl. He was a Dragon Slayer, which means that he have to mate her. What made him nervous is that Force Dragons mating was...special.

Erza trusted Kurito, even though that she lived a living hell in the past. His past resembled hers in many ways. He lost the people he loved and his dragon abandoned him. When she joined Fairy Tail she thought that the Arouna is a cold-hearted person who likes to be alone, but knowing him proved her wrong.

He has feelings, but he just lost the ability to express them. He felt broken in front of her gaze, but she knows that he can fixed.

They started moving towards each other, their lips inches apart from being sealed together...

Until a memory of an azure-haired boy flashed across Erza's mind.

A small gasp escaped her as she pushed herself from Kurito. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the surprised boy in front of her.

Kurito raised himself to a sitting position, and gave her questioning look. Erza looked away, her hair shadowing her eyes.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

It took the Dragon Slayer a moment to register her words. He looked down in hurt. H couldn't stop himself from asking. "Why?"

"Please, Kurito, don't make it harder." She pleaded, her voice cracking.

The Force Dragon Slayer couldn't stop himself. "Is it because of my origins?"

Erza looked at the boy with a shocked expression. "What? No!" She denied, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

He looked up, making her release a small gasp.

His eyes are glowing red.

"Is it because of you?" He asked coldly.

The scarlet-haired mage felt lost as she looked at his scarlet eyes. She looked away and nodded.

The Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I figured so."

He stood up and left the room, leaving the scarlet haired mage alone. She hugged her knees and placed her head on them, letting her tears fall freely.

"Come on in." Makarov called from his seat in his office.

Kurito entered the office and stood in front of the master's desk. "You wanted to see me, old man?"

The master nodded. "I know that your looking forward fro your mission, but don't you think it's better if...you changed it?"

Kurito eyes widen. "What are you saying, old man?" He said frustratingly.

Makarov sighed. "It's for your own safety. I know that your strong, and you proved it in the last S-Class exam, but-"

"LIKE I FUCKING CARE!" Kurito shouted angrily. "I trained my whole life for this moment! I will not allow this absurd excuse to get in my way."

Makarov massaged his forehead. "Say the truth, my boy, why do you want this mission that much?"

Kurito was silent for a moment. He was about to reply, but was cut off when Master Makarov glared at him. "I know what you want. Killing demons randomly, and endangering the lives of others won't make you feel any better. It will only push you to a path of darkness and solitude."

Makarov looked at Kurito softly. "Didn't you learn anything in your time with the guild?"

That question took Kurito back to when he first joined Fairy Tail. His memories with everyone. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy in Fairy Tail, but his demons made it hard form him to enjoy his life fully.

"That's what it means to have a family." Makarov said, giving the Arouna a warm smile. "It means that you have someone to lean on. Don't let your demons lead you to darkness. Remember what makes you happy."

Kurito looked down in thought. He had two choices, either he follow his hatred for Zeref, or his love for Fairy Tail.

In the end, he found the right choice.

"I will go." He said, his eyes glowing red in determination. "I will fight to protect what's left of my light, then I will decide the road that I will take. Either way, I will continue to protect the guild."

Makarov sighed. "Will continue this when you return from your mission."

Kurito face brightened. "See you, old man."

As Kurito left the office, Makarov smiled and shrugged. "Youngsters these days."

"Aniki, fight me!" Little Natsu exclaimed taking a fighting stance.

Kurito chuckled and ruffled the little boy's hair. "Not now, Natsu."

Natsu pouted. "Come on! You always say it and run away. I'm strong and I can prove it."

"He said no, flame brain, can't you understand?" Gray called from the other side of the guild.

"Wanna take his place, ice princess?" Natsu said angrily as he jumped in front of the ice mage.

"Show me what you got." Gray challenged.

Kurito chuckled at the little boys antics. He made his way to the guild doors. He already applied for the mission so he didn't need to check in the bar.

He had his straight, no guard katana tied to the side of his waist. He felt excited for his first mission.

"Yo, dinasour, stay alive. I need to kick your ass later." Laxus called from his seat at the bar with a smirk.

Kurito looked back at the older mage, giving him a smirk of his own. "Well see about that, scarface."

Just as he was about to leave the guild hall, his eyes met a certain scarlet haired beauty.

Their gazes locked, neither saying a single word. They felt as if time stopped around them. They remembered the events that occurred and blushed.

"S-So y-your going?" Erza stuttered nervously.

Kurito nodded quickly. "I-I guess I'll see you later."

The scarlet-haired mage nodded timidly.

Kurito gave her a small smile as he walked past her. He understood that what happened yesterday affected her. He knew everything about her past, including Jellal, from the master.

He felt a little angry when he heard about what he did to Erza. Sure she liked to act tough sometimes, but he knows that the scarlet-haired girl was kind hearted.

 **Nighttime In Crocus :**

After travelling for hours, Kurito reached Crocus. His mission was to eliminate a demon living in a Rakasha village close to Crocus. So he rented a small room in a cheap motel.

The Arouna laid down on the bed, thinking about his life in Fairy Tail. When he joined, he thought that the guild was too weird for his liking. As time moved, he got used to the rowdiness of the guild, and sometimes would join in. A small smile found its way to his lips.

He then thought about Erza and his complicated relationship with her. Their relationship could be more than a simple partnership, but neither of them dared to take the step. He felt weighted by his demons, and she was troubled by her feelings.

Surprisingly, he thought about Natsu. Kurito couldn't know why, but he felt close to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. His smile widen. Maybe he will test the boy's strength when he returns.

For the first time in his life, Kurito slept peacefully.

"Come in." Master Makarov.

The door opened, reveling one of the members of the Magic council, Gran Doma.

"What a surprise. Take a seat, Master Doma." Makarov welcomed.

The older man raised his hand in refusal. "No need, Master Makarov. I just came for a quick question. Do you mind?"

Makarov shook his head, giving the councilman a puzzled look. "Of course not."

Gran Doma took a deep breath. "Kurito Arouna is a member of your guild, right?" Makarov nodded.

The councilman glared. "What gives that boy the right to take an S-class mission?"

Makarov glared back. "With all due respect, sir, why does he need one? He's an S-Class mage."

"That boy is from the demon's descendants and a member of the D's. We allowed you to keep one because we couldn't confirm his bloodline, but an Arouna is a different matter. The Shinigami Eyes are too strong to be allowed to move freely." Gran Doma informed coldly.

"If that's what it is, then you should've searched for the one responsible for the massacre." Makarov scoffed.

Gran Doma chuckled darkly. "The world doesn't need a chaotic clan like the Arouna. The boy was better off to die with them."

A vain popped in Makarov's forehead. "With all due respect, say that again and I assure you that the council will be one seat short." He threatened with a deadly glare.

"Watch your tongue, Master. You might be a Wizard Saint, but the law is above all." Gran Doma gave one last glare before turning to leave. "We'll meet again."

Hate me, resent me, only than you'll be able to kill me

Kurito eyes flow open as he sat up, panting with sweat covering his body.

He felt the sun light illuminate the room. He left the bed to take a quick shower and get ready for his mission.

He made his way to the town. It diden't take him long to reach it, considering that it's close to Crocus. When he reached the village, he found so calm that it was creeping him. He could see some people walking through the roads, and some salesmen.

He reached a small house that was supposed to be the mayor's. He knocked the door. "Come in!"

When he entered, he found a short old man, sitting comfortably in a leather chair.

"I'm a Fairy Tail mage. I'm here for the job." Kurito said as the man's eyes widen.

"Oh, sorry!" The man exclaimed, standing from his seat and walking to the teen. "I'm Zyndro, the town's mayor." He said with a smile, offering his hand for a handshake.

"Kurito Arouna, S-Class mage of Fairy Tail." Kurito smiled back. The mayor's eye twitch didn't went unnoticed by the Dragon Slayer.

The mayor told the Kurito to take a seat. They talked about the mission. "There is a demon hunting down the little children in the village. According to analysis of local mages, he likes to feast on virgin teens." Zyndro informed.

"Have you found any survivors?" Zyndro shook his head gloomily.

Kurito sighed. After discussing the mission for so long, he came with a plan to draw the demon. The plan was to use a girl as a bait to draw the demon out and kill him. The mayor strongly refused.

"I cannot allow this." Zyndro said sternly.

Kurito sighed. "I understand your feelings, but if we search for him, it will take us a long time to find him. If we use a decoy, we will be able to end it quickly." He explained.

"Do you wish to bring the townspeople more suffering? We already lost too much. Please, my boy, don't make me do this." Zyndro pleaded.

Kurito rubbed his forehead in frustration. He couldn't say that the old man was wrong. It was true that using a life as bait was a gamble, and he didn't like it either, but it seemed like the best choice.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open in realization. "You said that he likes to feast on young virgins?" The mayor nodded.

Kurito smirked. "Then that's it."

"Tell me what do you have in mind, boy."

"Let's see..."

Go, and show the mortals the power of the demons of Zeref.

Tempesta groaned and rubbed his right shoulder, walking through the forest. He hated when Mard Geer would send in missions that he couldn't understand. He said something about Master Zeref orders.

He shrugged. Either way, his mission was simple. Camping around a town and killing some humans wasn't that big of a problem.

Suddenly, his nose caught the enchanting smell of blood. A grin formed on his face. 'Well, I guess I should thank master later.'

Tempesta dashed to the direction of the smell. The closer he gets, the stronger the smell. He didn't notice that he was drifting away from the town's borders.

When he reached his destination, the smell suddenly disappeared. Huh, what the-

His eyes widen when felt a magical presence behind. When he turned his head, he was met by fist.

" **Force Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

The demon was sent flying across the forest. His back slammed against a big rock, breaking it.

The demon quickly recovered and stood up, looking for the doer. He saw a young teen with a short, messy, black hair. He wore a short-sleeved white shirt with blue jeans. He had no-guard sword's sheath tied to his waist . The boy's onyx eyes glared daggers at the demon as he unsheathed his sword.

"You fell for it, demon." Kurito spat.

The demon growled. "How dare you!?"

" **Cyclone!** " A strong tornado wrapped itself around the demon as he dashed towards Kurito.

Kurito unsheathed his sword, attempting to block the attack. Suddenly the demon stopped mid-air and smirked. " **Inferno!** " The demon breathed a huge amount of fire, sending the Dragon Slayer several meters away.

After the smoke subdued, Kurito emerged with burn marks all around his body, his shirt was little bit burned.

The demon smirked. "You talk big, kid."

Kurito glared before dashing at the demon, swinging his sword. The demon dodged his attacks and tried to slash him with his claws. He noticed a medium-sized cut on the boy's shoulder

"Using your own blood to draw me in? Your not half bad. **Impact!** " The demon placed his hand on the teen's head, sending him flying. Kurito didn't know what sent him away, but he felt shell-shocked.

Kurito tried to move his body, but no avail. Tempetsa punched the teen's gut while he was on the ground, making him cough blood.

The demon stood over Kurito, smirking. "To think that you'll try to fight me...too bad your little challenge is about to end."

Kurito gritted his bloody teeth and tried to move his body. "It's useless. Your body is shell-shocked and can't focus on constructing your power."

"Before I kill you, answer me, kid. The magic power I feel from you is similar to something I felt years ago." Tempesta questioned.

Kurito eyes widen. "What are you, demon?"

Tempesta's face turned expressionless. "I have no name. I'm on of the Nine Gate Demons. Humans call me Calamity."

Kurito was shocked. "T-Tartarus?"

The demon smirked. "So you know us, kid? I'm a little surprised."

A vein popped on Kurito's forehead. "Of course I remember you. Demon's like you are responsible for massacring my clan!" The teen exclaimed angrily.

"Oh? Your an Arouna! I thought I was hallucinating."

Kurito gave the demon a deadly glare. "Don't you remember?"

"I don't even bother to remember the people I kill because I always seem to kill the weaklings. The only thing is worthy of my memory is when we took the eyes of your clan." Tempesta said coldly, shocking the teen even more.

"Well, I guess we missed one, even though you didn't awaken it yet." Tempesta smirked as he extended his hand to Kurito's eyes. "Goodbye, kid."

 _'Everyone, I'm sorry'._ Kurito thought as he remembered Fairy Tail.

 _Erza...Natsu...Laxus...Master..._

 _'Is that all that you've got?'._ Kurito eyes widen.

 _'Hate me, resent me, only then you'll be able to kill me.'_

He remembered everything. The black wizard glaring at him in that night, the burning village, the smell of blood, and his weakness.

 _'Weak...why are you weak?'_

Suddenly, Kurito's eyes turned bloody-red, surprising Tempetsa. " **Force Dragon's Roar!** " He released the a blue magical roar, sending the demon flying to the sky.

He jumped after the demon, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him on the ground.

 _'A moment ago he was completely paralyzed, but now, he's overflowing with power'_. Tempesta thought. 'Is this the power of the Arouna?'

 **"Force Dragon's Claw!"** A blue, flowing magic surrounded Kurito's legs. Tempesta stood up to counter, but was too late.

Kurito kicked the demon's gut, sending flying meters away. **"Force Dragon's Roar!"**

A small explosion erupted. As the smoke was cleared out, Tempesta lay on the ground, not moving.

"H-H-How?" He managed to choke out.

Kurito found his sword nearby and took it. He made his way to the fallen demon. "Tell me, demon, what is it like to be weak?" The Arouna asked coldly.

Tempesta gritted his teeth. "You-" He screamed in pain when he was stabbed by Kurito.

"It doesn't feel good, doesn't it? I BET YOU'RE FEELING THE SAME WAY THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED FELT!" He shouted, his red eyes glowing.

"Die." Kurito said with a sinister smirk as he continued to stab the demon over and over.

 _'Heh, I'll see you in hell, kid.'_ The demon thought with a smirk before his vision was blinded by his own blood.

* * *

 **In Magnolia :**

"The Shingami Eyes boosts the abilities of its user and allows him to predict and follow all of his opponent's attacks. It even allows him to learn more than one kind of magic in a short time and use it perfectly." Makarov explained, taking a sip from his mug.

Gildarts had a serious look on his face. "That's why the council isolated the clan in the village." Makarov nodded. "I trust that Kurito won't lose himself to the power of these eyes." Makarov said.

Glidarts chuckled. "He said that he will save his power to kick my ass. That kid is one hell of a hot head."

Makarov laughed lightly. "I only hope he comes back safe."

"How can the Shingami Eyes be awakened?" Glidarts asked.

Makarov took a sip from his drink before answering. "If they feel powerful feelings."

Glidarts gave a puzzled look. "You mean the same feelings everyone feels?"

Makarov nodded. "They feel love double the amount a normal being feels. These feelings is what made them a powerful clan. The Arouna clan use hatred and love to strengthen the power of their eyes. In the past wars, their power proved to be formidable." He explained.

Glidarts gave a thoughtful look. "The more the love they harbor for someone, the more powerful they become. The same things can happen to hatred." Makarov nodded.

"That's why I took Kurito in. He suffered the pain of lose, and that pain can turn into hatred, destroying everything in its path." Makarov features saddened. "And it seems I wasn't good enough."

"Don't be ridiculous." Glidarts said with a soft smile. "When he joined, he distanced himself from everyone. But through time, he opened up and made friends."

He grinned and patted the Master on the back. "You did everything any loving grandfather would do. Now you can rest in peace."

A vein popped on the Master's forehead. "I'm not that old yet!"

Glidarts laughed. "Besides,, he warmed up to a certain someone."

Makarov nodded knowingly. "I only hope that it will quell the pain in his heart."

"Come on, Erza, spit it out." Mirajane said, smiling teasingly.

"Cut it out, Mira." Erza growled, a tint of pink on her cheeks.

The two rivals were sitting in front of the bar. Mirajane was teasing Erza about her relationship with Kurito, which the scarlet-haired mage denied.

"There is nothing between us. We're just partners." Erza tried to say calmly.

The take-over mage snickered. "Partners don't give each other clothes."

Erza's blush grow deeper. "H-He forgot it in one of our missions!" She exclaimed hurriedly.

Mirajane's smirk turned into a grin. "And you took care of it like a good housewife."

Erza groaned. "Like the way you took care of Laxus's headphones?"

Mirajane's grin was replaced by a deep blush. "That it idiot forgot it and I just ran up to give it to him!"

Erza grinned in victory. "While putting it on your ears? I'm sure you wanted to warm it up for him."

The take-over mage muttered something incomprehensible, and looked away in embarrassment.

Despite being rivals and bad-mouthing each other at every given chance, the two girls were a close enough to talk for two minutes without fighting. Erza could understand why Mirajane acted like a tomboy. Her rival reminded her of herself. She acted that way to show everyone that she was strong, but Erza could tell that it was to protect her siblings. Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad idea to give her a punch in an attempt to teach her some manners.

Erza's cheeks warmed up when she started thinking about the Force Dragon Slayer. She felt embarrassed because of what happened between them before his mission. Her feelings about the black-haired man were complex. She didn't know if what she felt was real, but she was sure that she felt something.

Suddenly, the the guild doors opened, and the scarlet-haired mage could hear the loud cheers of her guildmates.

"Kurito is back!"

"Welcome back!"

"As expected of our S-Class mage!"

"Kurito! Fight me!"

The scarlet-haired mage looked back and her heart fell. Kurito's shirt was gone, he just wore his long leather black jacket. His torso was wrapped in bandages. His forehead also had a bandage around it.

Erza froze when she looked at his face. His expression was cold, devoid of any emotion. His bangs covered his right eye.

He looked into her eyes and she felt her blood run cold. She heard about demons that could burn you, but nobody told her that they could freeze.

Yes...her dear best friend resembled a demon.

He walked past her and stood in front of Master Makarov, who noticed the Arouna's sudden coldness. "Can we talk?" He requested.

The Master scanned Kurito's face and his eyes widen in horror. "O-Of course. Let's go to my office."

Erza felt a strong magical presence in the bar. She looked and found Laxus glaring at the Arouna. She could small lightning sparks around the blonde's body. While taking the stairs, Kurito looked back, locking his gaze with Laxus's before.

The two- exchanged hateful glares before Kurito continued his way.

Laxus's magic power calmed as he sat on a bar stool, looking away in thought.

Erza down worriedly, her palms sweating.

 _What the hell happened while he was away?_

 **INSIDE THE MASTER'S OFFICE :**

Kurito stood before the master, his expression remained unchanged from his encounter with the Requip mage.

He really couldn't feel anything. After killing Tempesta and doing...other things, he felt empty and a little satisfied, and that scared him. He was in a whirlwind of emotions, he felt scared, proud, happy, and sad in the same time.

For the first time in his life he felt cold.

"Kurito," Master Makarov called. "What happened?"

The young teen looked at the master with a blank face. "I've slayed the demon."

Master Makarov looked at the boy softly. "Anything else happened?"

"He was...one of the demons that massacred my clan." Kurito said shakily. "I..I"

Kurito's lips moved, making Makarov's eyes widen.

The young teen fell on his knees, his hands covering his face as tears formed in the corner of his eyes. "I...I..don't know..."

Makarov's heart clinched at seeing one of his children cry. _If only I managed to..._

He placed a hand on the Arouna's back. "It will be okay, my child." He comforted the shaking teen

The teen looked up, tears in his eyes. His eyes showed nothing but sadness and pain.

His right eye was glowing bloody-red.

 _'It was so painful that he awakened his eyes...I should've stopped him.'_ Makarov thought with a painful expression on his face.

He knows the reason why his child acted this way. He was afraid. He was afraid that the darkness he showed when he killed the demon was his true nature.

After he calmed down, both male stood up as Kurito wiped his tears. The young Arouna looked away in silence.

The room was silent until Kurito spoke. "Master, can I ask for something?"

"Anything, my child." Makarov replied immediately.

Kurito looked at the Master. "What is Lumen Histoire?."

Makarov eyes widen in shock. "Wh-What?"

"When I was walking back, I met him and he told me about it. He wanted me to help him uncover it."

"I can't believe this, how dare Ivan work under my nose and undermine everything this Guild was founded upon." Makarov said angrily, banging his fist on his desk. "So he told you about Lumen Histoire?"

"Yes, he said it was Fairy Tail's Darkness. He wants to use whatever this is to overthrow you and become Fairy Tail's new Master." Kurito stated, crossing his arms. "I believe he is also trying to gather allies to help beat out your supporters, which is why he told me about it."

"Kurito, whatever you do, please never mention Lumen Histoire again. I can't give you any more details, but if this were to get out, it could cost many innocent people their lives." He said, hoping the Arouna would listen. He was aware that Kurito had desire for power, which is why Ivan was likely drawn to the young man.

"Fair enough, but in return, I may want this favor returned." He said, making Makarov nod with a sigh. "Don't worry, over the last two years, I have come to think of this town as my home and those loud fools as my friends." He said with a smile.

"Not as a family?" Makarov asked, making Kurito's expression falls.

"I...I...I don't know." Kurito sighed before smirking. "Now let's get to the favor. How about a 10 years quest?"

* * *

The next 7 days, nobody saw Kurito, and that made everyone worry about him, especially a certain redhead.

She would stop by his house and knock, but he wouldn't open. She would wait for him to open everyday when the sun would set.

That was until she saw him leaving Magnolia. She was walking back from a mission in nighttime, when she spotted the black-haired teen walking towards her, holding a backpack over his shoulder.

"Kurito?" The scarlet-haired mage said, confused. "Are going on a mission?"

Kurito looked away. "Yes, but it will be longer this time." He didn't want to lie at her, so he will give it to her clearly.

"What do you mean?" She asked while tilting her head. She could feel uneasiness in the pits of her stomach.

Kurito sighed, looking into the redhead's eyes. "This mission will take years."

Erza's eyes widen in shock as the Arouna walked past her. "Goodbye, Erza."

Just as he was about to take another step, he felt a strong grip around him. It took him a moment to notice that she was hugging him from behind, she placed her head on his back.

"Y-You're going to leave me alone?" She said hurtfully.

Kurito looked at the sky, feeling his heart being stabbed. "You will not be alone. You still have Fairy Tail."

"But you're still important to me!" She exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks.

Kurito eyes widen as the scarlet-haired mage continued. "You were my first friend! You trained me, took me to mission, and even took a baths with me." Kurito blushed at the last part

An image of a certain azure-haired man flashed through Erza's mind. 'I can't lose both of you!'

"You're important to me too." Kurito said as he turned and wrapped his arms around the scarlet-haired mage.

The scarlet-haired mage's hold around him tightened as she buried her head in his chest, more tears running down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the black-haired teen pecked her forehead, surprising the Requip mage. He hugged her. "Erza...thank you." He whispered into her ear.

"Kurito..." The scarlet-haired mage muttered before the Dragon Slayer disappeared from her sight.

She fell to her knees and cried.

 _Erza, everyone...I''m sorry, but I cannot afford to lose you, I can't allow myself to fall into darkness. I will come back one day, and you will tell me your wonderful adventures. When I come back, I will be strong enough to protect you...my family._

 _Thank you for everything._

 **3 YEARS AFTER KURITO JOINED FAIRY TAIL:**

After learning the truth, along with growing reports of Ivan cruelly attacking defeated opponents which included a member of Fairy Tail, Makarov had no choice but to expel his son from the Guild. This greatly angered Laxus, who disowned Makarov as family. This was coupled with the fact that Laxus kept being referred to as Makarov's grandson and was unable to get out of the large shadow cast by Fairy Tail Guild Master. Ivan went on to form his own Guild and called it Raven Tail, as if to insult Fairy Tail.

Mira soon worked her way up to S-Class after Makarov called back his S-Class Wizards to organize another trial. The other member who made the cut consisted of a mystery member known as Mystogan, who used a sleeping spell on the other members so he could hide his identity. Cana came close but was stopped by the overwhelming power of Laxus. Kurito also held his opponents down. Mira began taking her siblings on S-Class quests to make them stronger. Gildarts took on a century quest and bid farwell to the Guild.

Erza became quite famous, known as Titania Erza or the Queen of Fairy Tail. She completed her jobs quickly and efficiently and rarely went off the rails like the rest of the guild. She also took the role of guild's peace keeper. She uses violence to stop the others from being violent. There were only two people immune to her threats and they where Laxus and Kurito.

Speaking of the two rivals, Kurito earned the title 'Kurito of the Shinigami' due to his eyes. He became quiet famous around Magnolia for being the last of the extent Arouna Clan. He would often stop by to check on the guild and share his adventures with everyone, which made both Natsu and Erza happy. Laxus was also known as the 'Thunder God' because of his powerful lightning magic. After the tragic death of Lisanna, he started distancing himself from the guild. He dated Mirajane and acted as her fake lover to make her feel better, which the Take-Over mage was glad for.

She knew that there was nothing serious between them. It was just something to make her feel better, but in the back of her sad heart, she wished fro it to be true.

* * *

Okay, that's it for today. I know some of you will complain about Tempesta, saying that he is OOC in this chapter, but remember that before he was defeated by Laxus, he was revived so many times. Maybe his personalty was different at that time?

Review are appreciated!


	7. The Return

A lean, muscular young man with an average height sheathed his swords as he slashed at the final vulcan. There were the bodies of about 12 Vulcan's lying around in the forest clearing, all unconscious. They had been terrorizing a nearby town for a few months and he arrived 2 days ago to help. He had a spiky, jet black hair with several bangs framing his forehead and a pale white skin. He has abnormal sharp canines, and has his dark blue guild mark on his right shoulder. He wears a tight, sleeveless, black shirt with a long, leather jacket and a baggy, blue pants, and black wristbands.

"Oh my. If I didn't know you any better, I would've thought that you destroyed a city, Kurito." Ultear said with a smirk.

Kurito turned to glare at the women. "What do you want? If it's about joining your guild, I already left." He said as he turned to leave.

"What would the people you care about if they find out you joined a dark guild?" She asked with a hint of slyness in her voice.

Kurito activated his eyes and turned to attack the time mage, only to find that she disappeared. He sheathed his sword and deactivated his powers. With a sigh, he turned to leave.

* * *

Making his way to Magnolia, Kurito didn't help but to smile. After five years of leaving for his 10 years quest, he's finally coming back. He remembered all the fun times he spent on the guild. His brotherhood with Natsu, his rivalry with Laxus, and his friendship with Erza. His smile turned into an excited grin as he began running to the guild hall. He ran through the streets of Magnolia with a grin plastered to his face. When most people saw him, they cleared out of his way. As he ran past, many residents of Magnolia recognized him and a few waved to him and shouted their greetings. He tried his best to respond, but nearly crashed headfirst into a wall.

He rounded another corner, and another and another. When the guild hall finally came into sight however, he stopped running. He blinked several times and frowned. _Is that the guild hall?_ He wondered. He didn't recognize it and the only thing that told him that the building in front of him was the guild hall were the words "Fairy Tail" written across the top of the arc way leading into the building. _I wonder if I wasn't so wrong about thinking Natsu and Gray had finally managed to destroy the guild hall._ _I guess I'll have to ask master what happened. But first, I need to tell I've finally got enough._ He then started running towards the door, his smile returning.

* * *

Makarov Dreyar, the current guild master of Fairy Tail, took a swig from his tankard which currently contained his favorite beverage. He looked around the guild hall, smiling at the current mood. Levy was reading a book while Elfman was shouting at Jet and Droy about something, probably to do with them failing _another_ job. Cana was sitting at a table watching the scene with an amused smile on her face while occasionally taking a swig from her tankard. The idea of challenging her to a drinking contest came to the forefront of Makarov's mind, but he quickly decided he'd actually prefer to remember the rest of his day.

"Hey Mira I need a drink over here, mine's just run dry." Cana called out from her table. "Coming Cana! What do you want?" A sweet voice said from behind Makarov. "The usual." The drinker replied. Mirajane Strauss swept past Makarov and went towards Cana carrying her requested drink, offering the guild master a good view of her rear end. _Fairy Tail certainly does have some fine women…_ Makarov thought to himself.

Mira handed Cana the beverage before turning around, prompting Makarov to quickly take a swig of his drink least he be caught peering. Unfortunately he swallowed a bit too quickly and started spluttering and spurting violently, comically thumping himself on the chest rapidly. Mira quickly walked over and thumped him several times on the back.

"Are you alright Master?" She asked once Makarov had recovered from his instant Karma. "Yes I'm fine. Just drank too quickly." He explained. He eyed his tankard suspiciously before taking another swig. He looked around again. "It sure is quiet today…" He said to none in particular.

Mira smiled. "Don't worry. Once Natsu and Gray are back from their mission, the place will surely liven up!" She said cheerfully, causing Makarov to groan. "I hope it doesn't liven up too much. We just rebuild the guild hall."

The Fairy Tail Master was relived that all his children were save from the Phantom Lord incident days ago. More importantly, the council won't stop annoying him about reports of Team Natsu destroying everything on their missions and their questions about Kurito Arouna.

Right now, the guild had only one S-Class mage and that was Erza. Kurito, Mystogan, Laxus, and Gildarts were on missions, counting that Mira couldn't fight anymore. He sighed. Despite the fact that he always gets annoyed be the guild's ruckus, he always disliked calm places.

"Well we're going to have a bigger problem than Natsu and Gray's constant fighting when they get back." Makarov said referring to the new dragon slayer who'd joined the guild. Currently he was out on a job.

"I guess." Mira said. "But don't worry. If you tell them to leave Gajeel alone, I'm sure they will." Makarov huffed before speaking "Hopefully, but knowing those 2 they definitely won't like it. I just hope Erza understands. That way she'll be able to keep them-"

He was cut off as the door flew open and Kurito ran several feet into the hall. He skidded to a halt and looked around, a grin spread across his face.

"Hey guys I'm home!" He yelled. Those present in the guild stopped what they were doing to see who just burst through the door, and a wave of greetings had erupted when they saw who it was. Kurito responded with his own before he made his way over to Makarov and Mira.

"Kurito my boy! It's good to see you again. It's certainly been a while hasn't it?" The guild master asked, a smile spread across his face. "Yes it has, over 5 years. It's good to see you again Master." Kurito then looked at Mira who was beaming at him. "Hey Mira! Good to see you again!" He said.

"Good to see you too, Kurito." The white haired girl replied. "How have you been?" She asked. "Great! Although I really missed you guys. Especially you're cooking, Mira. Nothing I ate after I left was as nearly as good as what you can make." He said beaming back at Mira, his voice filled with honesty. Mira giggled at him. "Oh thank you, Kurito. If you want, I could make you dinner tonight as a welcome home gift." She offered.

"Really? That would be awesome! Yes please, I would love it!" Kurito said, his face brightening even more at the thought of Mira's cooking. Mira couldn't help but once more giggle at Kurito. He then seemed to remember the master was there, who'd been watching the little exchange with a fond smile on his face.

"Oh I'm sorry master but I forgot to ask, how have you been doing?" Kurito asked the old man. "I've been doing well my boy. One or two incidents but nothing the guild couldn't handle. I have to say, it's good to have you back." He replied, a smile on his face, not really wanting to bother the young wizard with the recent troubles Fairy Tail had gone through. "Good to hear. Oh master, I managed to finish all my jobs!" Kurito declared proudly. "I now have enough money to buy the house I've always wanted!"

Makarov chuckled. "No Kurito, unfortunately not. We were involved in a guild war with Phantom Lord. Victory was ours, but we paid the price of our guild hall being destroyed." He explained. Kurito just stared at him. "W-Was anyone hurt? What happened to them afterwards? Why did they attack us?" Kurito asked, worry filling his eyes and his expression changing to one of shock.

"Their guild was disbanded by order of the magic council." Mira said. "Don't worry about it, Kurito, no one was killed, but nearly everyone was injured in some way, mostly due to the fighting, but their all fine now. As for why… it's because the father of one of our newest guild members hired them to capture her." She explained. Kurito looked at Mira before looking at Makarov. "M-Master I'm so sorry… I-If I'd know I'd have come to help…" Kurito said with guiltiness. Makarov eyed the boy before smiling and extending his arm to pat Kurito's head. "No need to apologize my boy. I know you wouldn't have hesitated to help if you'd been here, so don't think about it. The past is the past, no need to worry about it."

Kurito grinned. "Whatever you say Master! Oh have I missed anything else?" He asked. Makarov and Mira then gave him a brief synopsis of what's happened since he'd last been in Magnolia, although Mira ended up doing most of the talking, and Makarov chipped in here and there.

"Wow, sounds like I missed a lot! So we've got another dragon slayer in the guild? That's awesome!" Kurito exclaimed. Makarov sighed. _If only everyone else could share that viewpoint…_ He thought. "Well I'll just go see how everyone else is doing before I go out to buy the house." Kurito said before turning around and practically sprinting over to everyone else.

"He changed a lot, has he?" Mira asked, smiling at Kurito. Makarov shook his head with a proud smile. "No, he hasn't, but I'm glad. He truly is an exceptional boy. He's been working so hard towards having enough jewels to buy that house he wants. I'm glad to see he's got enough now." He said. "Yeah. That's our Kurito for you, doesn't stop till it's done." Mira said with a smile. Makarov then glanced at his tankard.

"Mira! I need more to drink!"

Suddenly, the guild doors were slammed open. "We're back!" Natsu exclaimed with a grin, followed by Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy.

Everyone greeted Team Natsu as they made their way to the bar. Natsu boosting about his newest accomplishment while Gray was trying to avoid Juvia's stalking. Lucy face palmed at Natsu's attitude.

Erza sighed and was about to restrain Natsu's wild behavior, but when she turned her head to glare at the Fire Dragon Slayer, her eyes fell at another Dragon Slayer. ,sitting at the bar

Spiky black hair, onyx eyes, sleeveless blackshirt, gray baggy pants, white boots, and black wristbands. Her eyes widen in shock as he smiled at her.

"How are you doing, partner?" He asked with a smile.

For a moment, Erza felt as if the world stopped around her. She felt tat she was trapped in another dimension.

"ANIKI!" A shocked shout ran through the entire guild as Natsu jumped at Kurito, tackling him in the ground.

"Where have you been?! I close my eyes for a day and then you're gone in a mission on your own?! Why didn't you take me with you?" Natsu bombarded Kurito with question's as he sat on top of Kurito's abdomen, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Kurito's eyes widen. The thought of passing this scene didn't cross his mind. He thought that it was going to be a normal homecoming. Hell, Gildarts is hardly around and he never had this welcome.

He slowly turned his head from the pouting Natsu and looked at Erza. She had a small smile at her lips. Her eyes showing that she was happy he was back, but in the same time, she had question. Kurito thought that somehow, Natsu said what she wanted to say.

He chuckled, not one of pity, but a one of gratitude. Who would've thought that the last living man of the deceased and hated Arouna Clan was going to find a place to call home.

But in the end, that was why he joined Fairy Tail.

* * *

Kurito sat on a table with Erza, Natsu, Lucy, and Gray. There were a verity of food plate in front of him, and he will be damned if he let it go to waste.

"So how was your mission?" Erza inquired.

Kurito swallowed a beat of meat before answering, "Well, it went good. Just several years of hunting creatures that terrorize people."

"Ohhh, you should've taken me with you. I could've beat the up!" Natsu whined loudly.

Kurito sighed and smiled at Natsu. "It was an S-Class mission. Even if I wanted, I couldn't take you." Kurito heard and knows what happened to Mira's sister, Lisanna. He felt sorry and wanted to return to give Mira his condolence, but he felt that his presence was unneeded. After all, Laxus was with her.

"By the way who are?" Kurito looked at Lucy, who fidget under the Force Dragon Slayer's questioning gaze.

"M-My name is Lucy! I-I am Fairy Tail's new member. Pleased to meet you!" She squeaked out in a hurried manner.

Kurito had a serious look on him as he stood up from his chair and went to the Celestial mage's side. Everyone gave him a look of wonder. He leaned and started sniffing at Lucy's neck, causing her to blush.

"O-Oi, Kurito!" Gray exclaimed with a blush on his face.

Kurito than patted her on the head before giving her bust a calculating look. "Oh, I see..." He whispered, causing Lucy to cover her bust and look away, her face rivaling Erza's hair.

Suddenly, Erza's armored foot connected to Kurito's face, sending him flying across the guild and crashing into a wall.

"W-W-W-What do you think you're doing? You fiend!" Erza exclaimed, her face red because of both anger and embarrassment.

Kurito grunted in pain while Mira giggled. "Oh my, I hope you didn't kill him."

Erza sweatdropped and ran to the unconscious Dragon Slayer. She grabbed him and started shaking him harshly by his shoulders, aw worried look on her face. "Kurito! Kurito! Don't die! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Everyone sweatdropped. ' _You are killing him."_

"It's been only a few minutes and the guild is already in chaos because of him." Makarov groaned from his place at the bar.

Mira giggled. "Don't be grouchy, Master. You were bored a few moments ago."

Makarov sighed. "I'm afraid it will get really messy when _they_ meet."

Mirajane's expression turned neutral. She understood who he meant.

"Well, well, what do we have hear?" A voice said, catching everyone's attention. Everyone looked at the figure entering the guild. Spiky blonde hair and long furry coat, not to mention the intimidating presence.

Kurito grinned. "Long time no see, scarface."

Laxus laughed. "Good to see you alive. I would be dissatisfied if someone other than me killed you."

Everyone could feel a chill down their spines, except Kurito and Makarov.

"Oh,well. I think I can spare a drink or two." Laxus grinned as he made his way to the bar and took a seat beside Kurito. "Mira, the usual."

Kurito ordered a simple beer as both men sat beside each other. "Finishing your quest in half the time. Must be good." Laxus said, taking a sip from his mug.

Kurito shook his head. "I'm getting the same amount of money. There is no bonus in finishing the mission early."

Laxus scoffed. "Then why return?"

Kurito smiled. "I missed everyone. I missed many things because of this mission. I couldn't allow myself to miss more." Kurito was about to take a sip from his drink, but Laxus grabbed the back of his head and slammed it to the bar, breaking the bar in the process, shocking and horrifying everyone.

"Kurito! Why you little.." Erza was about to attack Laxus, who stood up to leave, but a raised hand from Makarov stopped her.

Laxus smirked at Erza. "Why are you angry, Titania? He's weak and he deserved it." He said passing by Erza, who clenched her hands into fists.

"I will not give it to anyone. Not even him." He said as he left the guild, making Erza tremble with rage.

"Leave him be." Kurito said as he stood himself and dusted his clothes. Erza gasped as she noticed a bloody bruise on his forehead while blood was coming from his nose.

"You need to go to the infirmary, now!" Erza said as she dragged a protesting Kurito to the infirmary.

Makarov sighed. "Mira, clean this up. I"ll go a d check on Kurito." He didn't fail to notice the sad look on her face as she nodded.

* * *

"OUCH!"

"Stop whining you baby. It's not like you didn't get injured before." Erza rolled her eyes as she finished wrapping the bandage around Kurito's head.

"C'mon Erza, it's not that severe. Besides, that was a good drink." Kurito replied with a boyish grin.

Erza sighed. "Why did you stop me? Scratch that, why did you let him do that to you?"

"I wanted to know how strong he became." Kurito replied with a smile. "You know how he is."

"He is not the same person you knew years ago." Erza said sternly. "He...changed."

Kurito nodded grimly. "I know what happened. He abandoned the guild in the time of need, but that's not a reason to pick a fight with him. He's still the Master's grandson."

Erza knew what Kurito meant. If something was to happen between a guild member and Laxus, it would put Makarov in a difficult situation.

"How are you my boy?" Makarov asked as he stepped inside the infirmary.

Kurito smiled. "No broken bones thanks to our number one mage."

Erza blushed and looked away, placing a hair lock behind her ear. "It's nothing. Just stop being injured so easily."

* * *

An exasperated sigh was heard amongst the loud chattering that filled the Fairy Tail guild's hall. The blonde-haired Celestial Spirit mage sat on one of the bar stools, with her left hand supporting her head.

Beside her comrade, who was chugging her very own liquor-filled barrel.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Mirajane asked from behind the bar while wiping an empty beer glass.

"Aww Mira, why do you always do that?" The blonde mage groaned in response.

The former S-class mage just smiled innocently. "I don't know what you mean."

" _That thing earlier."_ Lucy frowned, before taking a sip at her drink.

"What are you two talking about?" Cana asked, who was chugging off her beer barrel not too long ago.

"Cana, take it easy on your _boyfriend._ " Mira stated, obviously referring to Cana's drinks. "Make sure you leave some for the others."

The Card mage frowned, and quickly stated a quick 'I cannot live without my liquor' before continuing to down all the contents of the barrel in one go.

"Wow, Cana sure is on the roll." Lucy stated, staring at the card mage. She suddenly didn't feel like consuming what's left of her drink.

"Of course! I need to make up for the time that I wasn't able to drink!" Mira and Lucy just chuckled at Cana in response.

"That aside, what were you two talking about earlier?"

"Oh, that." Lucy rolled her eyes and explained how Mirajane tried to get her and Natsu together by locking the two of them in a room, with the help of Freed's runes, and how she lost half of her life because Natsu was trying to burn the door, which resulted to more destruction.

"We were there for over three hours!" Lucy exclaimed, turning her head to the smiling barmaid. "Really, out of all your attempts, this one takes the cake!" Lucy stated, her face turned as red as a tomato.

Mira grinned at the Celestial spirit mage, "You wouldn't have had to stay in there for too long if you immediately obeyed what the runes stated. In the end, you kissed him either way and got out, right?"

"Say what?" Cana exclaimed, who almost spilled the contents of her new barrel. She grinned and nudged Lucy with her elbow. "So the little girl has finally started to grow up." Cana stated, giving Lucy a couple of pats on the back. "I am proud of you, partner!" She exclaimed before throwing a laughing fit with Mira.

Lucy sank in her seat and hid her face behind her arms. "Ugh, why does it have to be me?"

"Nice work, Mira! That makes it two! So after Bisca and Alzack comes Lucy and Natsu. You're doing quite a great job at this." the brunette stated in between her chuckles. The barmaid just winked in return, and went on with pouring drinks.  
"That makes me wonder, though…" Lucy stated. "Mira always tries to get people together, but she isn't in a relationship herself... or is she?"

Lucy's question left Cana a bit speechless, and both of them glanced at the barmaid, who was busy fending off old man Wakaba's advances with her clever retorts.

"I mean look, she just turns down all the guys that ask her out. It seems Freed has also developed feelings for her but she turned him down as well. She told me yesterday that she isn't seeing anyone. I understand her reasons for rejecting Wakaba but Freed is actually a pretty decent guy... just a bit obsessive though, when it comes to Laxus."

Cana momentarily stopped drinking, and chuckled at Lucy's words. "She has her reasons. Although I think it is best that she tells you about it herself."

The brunette signaled for Mirajane to come over, to which, the latter complied to.

"Mira, you have time right now?"

The white-haired beauty quirked her eyebrows in wonder, but nodded in response anyway.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Lucy has been wondering about your past love-life. I thought it would be best if you told her in your own words."

"Oh, I see." The former S-Class mage responded, her face contorted to that of an enigmatic, yet longing look. She smiled sadly and replied. "It isn't really anything, nothing that passes for a novel."

Cana snorted at her statement, and Mira in turn, decided to nudge the brunette with her elbow.

"Uhm, with the way you are like right now, Mira, that is pretty hard to believe." Lucy stated with a look of wonder in her face.

"Pff, yeah." Cana snorted. "Girl, the look on your face says it all."

Mira's eyes switched between the two. "Is it really that obvious?" She asked, earning a nod from both. She gave out a long sigh, and leant on the bar.

"It was about… a year after Lisanna died." Mirajane started, instantly earning the attention of both Cana and Lucy. "We were in a very complicated situation a year after she died…"

"Mira, I think it would be better if you told Lucy who the guy is before continuing." Cana stated, before turning her head back to her beer barrel.

Mirajane nodded and sighed. "It's Laxus."

"WHOOOOO?" yelled Lucy, standing up and earning the attention of the other people in the guild. She noticed the looks being given to her, and she instantly felt her legs go jelly. She sat back down scratching the back of her head and telling everyone else that it was nothing. The guild immediately went back onto their separate businesses.

Lucy scooted closer to Mira and whispered, "YOU, AND LAXUS? Are you kidding me, Mira?"

"I wish I was." The former take-over mage said, smiling.

Lucy couldn't believe it. "Ehh?" was the only reply she could give, coupled by a look of utter disbelief.

"Wait, are you two still…you know..? Hold on, wait, uhm, that can't be possible, right? Since he is such a, sorry for the term, bastard..."

Mira smiled sadly and looked away, over to the set of liquor arranged on the shelf. "We were never together officially. It really wasn't anything…" She sighed.

Lucy just stared at the barmaid in wonder. "I don't get what you mean."

"When we were alone, we used to talk and act like lovers. It started off as a joke he instigated it just to help me forget about what happened to Lisanna."

Mira smiled at the memory as she recalled how she and the Laxus used to be. She leant on the bar, taking a sip of the drink she prepared earlier. "No one really knew about the 'relationship' it was just us. In the company of other guildmates, we were the same, except that I gradually changed."

The barmaid chuckled, turned to Lucy and gagged, "I'm pretty sure you know by now about how I used to be." Lucy smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to continue. Cana just smiled at the two, listening in to the S-class mage's story while drinking. This time, she drank a lot slower.

"It went on for about a year," Mira took another sip at her drink, making Cana quirk her eyebrows as she noticed that the barmaid was actually drinking hard liquor. "Somewhere in between, I just… I fell in love with him, and let me tell you this: I fell hard." Her words stung, even for both Lucy and Cana. The two felt the weight of Mira's statement, through the way she said it, through the way her hands balled into fists, through the way her eyes twitched, and through the way her body sort of froze.

Instantly, Lucy knew it didn't end well for her friend and idol. Cana, on the other hand, knew of it already, but still ended up looking at Mira in pity.

"It was gradual, but it started to hurt because back then, I thought that perhaps it was just him pitying me. There was never a time we said 'I love you' to each other, so I didn't know how he felt." The white-haired beauty's voice cracked, she was trying not to cry. At this, Lucy took hold of her friend's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Mira took control of her emotions by taking a deep breath. "Just looking at him, I knew he wouldn't approve of a relationship either way, because it might cause conflict within the guild if we split. I went on with him until the hurt was too much for me to handle. After that, I decided just to avoid him without saying anything, so we drifted apart, just like that."

"He understood what I was trying to do, and so he started going on long-term S-Class missions to help make things easier for me, while I just remained at the guild managing the bar. Up until now I don't know how he feels… but I know I still harbor feelings for him, that's why I don't go out with anyone. I don't want to leave them hanging, waiting for a lady who is haunted by her love for someone who never got to know of her feelings."

Mira gave out a long sigh and smiled. "And that's how we ended up here."

Lucy and Cana could only stare as the white-haired beauty stood up, and went back to managing the bar, smiling, as if she hadn't been holding back tears just moments ago.


	8. Sparks of Rebellion

**Hello, guys! How're you doing? It surely been a long time since I've updated. I'm busy with college and the finals are coming up. I didn't even have time to watch Dragon Cry.**

 **I've been thinking about introducing Wendy after the Battle of Fairy Tail because I have plans for her in the Phoenix Priestess Arc and the battle against Oracion Seis.**

 **Tell me what you think. Reviews and opinions are very welcomed :)**

* * *

"Aniki, come on! I want to go with you!" Natsu whined, sitting beside Kurito in one of the bar's stool's.

Kurito sighed. "I already told you, It's an S-Class mission! Even if I wanted to take you, I can't."

Natsu frowned. "I'll beat you and become an S-Class mage! Then I'll force you to take me with you." He exclaimed defiantly.

Kurito grinned at his sworn brother's enthusiasm. Natsu had that raging flame inside of himself, it was one of the many things that drawn people to him. He was energetic, positive, and stubborn to no end, but his smile would lit up the entire guild. Kurito would be lying if he never thought that Natsu was the spirit of Fairy Tail.

That's why, he'll make sure that Natsu will never be like him. A smiling idiot who hid nothing but hatred and pain behind the mask of fragile emotions.

"Do your best." He ruffled Natsu's hair before the latter ran away, searching for Lucy and Happy.

He watched his brother's retreating figure with a smile. He was happy he got to see Natsu after all these years.

"I'm happy that time didn't change the nature of your bond as brothers." Erza stated with a smile as she approached the Force Dragon Slayer.

"Me too." Kurito said with a hint of guilt in his voice. "I deeply regret leaving him behind." _But I had no choice._

"When you left, he felt...lonely." Erza reminisced softly. "He got over it quickly."

"Because he has friends." Kurito said turning to give the red-haired beauty a thankful smile.

"No, because he knew you'd come back." Erza corrected. "He wanted to make you proud the next time you meet him."

Kurito was stunned by her reply. He never knew that Natsu thought deeply about these things, especially feelings. It seems he wasted so much time away from his brother that he doesn't understand him anymore.

"You're the same aren't you?" Kurito suddenly asked Erza. His question caught her off guard.

Erza looked away with a sad smile, reminiscing her times with the black-haired Arouna. "I do, but I'm glad you're here now."

Before Kurito can speak, Erza hugged him, stunning him. She didn't hug him as strong as she did to Natsu, which often caused his little brother to get a bump. She gave him a soft hug full of affection.

"I always wanted you back, ever since you left, I felt lonely. Ever since you left, everything has been different...to me." She whispered in a low, meaningful voice.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back to give him a bright smile. "So don't leave me again, okay?"

Her words and soft voice placed Kurito on a trance. He never knew that Erza can smile like this; cheerful and soft, which was the quite opposite of the personality she was known for.

Unknown to them, a certain white-haired barmaid watched their exchange with a happy smile, and a small bit of jealousy in her heart.

Erza sat beside Kurito and they started chatting about various things. From her daily headaches caused by Natsu and Gray to many of Kurito's adventures.

Sitting on the bar beside Cana and Mira, Makarov smiled as he drank from his mug. _It seems I was worried for nothing. His emotions are in control._

Suddenly, Makarov felt uneasy and Kurito stopped talking. Erza suddenly felt tired as she was looked at Kurito groggily through half-lidded eyes.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Mirajane asked.

"No, I just feel...a little sleepy." Makarov said, taking a sip of his beer. Suddenly, everyone fell asleep, except for Makarov and Kurito.

Kurito sighed. "Really? Again, Mystogan?" The fact that the mysterious S-Class mage can't take a mission without putting everyone on a sleeping spell was annoying.

Mystogan walked in and took a mission from the board then walked to the bar, showing it to Makarov. "I'll take this one." The masked mage said. Makarov nodded in acceptance. Mystogan turned to leave.

"Don't forget the spell." Kurito called at Mystogan before taking a sip from his beer.

"5...4...3...2...1." As soon as Mystogan spelled out the last number, the guild members started waking up. They were all confused.

"Before you ask, it was Mystogan." Kurito explained, earning him looks of understatement. Lucy was somewhat confused, but Loki explained everything to him.

"That's why the only ones who saw Mystogan's face are Kurito and Makarov." Gray explained to Lucy. Suddenly, a voice was heard from the second floor of the guild.

"That's not true... I saw his face too." Laxus said with an arrogant smirk, with a cigar in his mouth. "Of course wimps like you wouldn't notice! You were knocked!" Natsu, who was asleep, woke up in a second. Everyone else was surprised at Laxus being present, except for Kurito who glared.

Natsu jumped and took a fighting stance. "Laxus, fight me!"

"Stop it, Natsu. You can't beat him." Kurito warned in a dangerous voice as he stood up from his seat. His eyes never leaving the blonde-haired mage.

"Listen to him, Natsu. You couldn't even defeat Erza. What makes you think you can even touch me?" Laxus taunted.

Erza felt offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Natsu gritted his teeth and ran towards Laxus, but was stopped by Kurito, who punched him in the gut, making him cough saliva and fall to his knees. This shocked everyone, who knew that Kurito would never hurt Natsu.

"Ha ha! That was good, Kurito!" Laxus laughed menacingly while clapping his hands. Kurito got hold of Natsu's scarf, and put him on a chair.

Laxus jumped from the second floor and stood face to face with Kurito. "I forgot to ask, how's you nose now?" Laxus asked with a mocking smirk.

Kurito smirked back. "Not that good, but at least I don't have a _scar._ "

Laxus's smirk was replaced with an angered glare, a vain popping in his forehead. "Oh...why don't I give you one as a gift?" He said as he unleashed his powerful lightning aura.

"I should give you another one. Just in case you wanted to look cooler." Kurito muttered with a smirk, a hint of challenge in his voice as he unleashed his blue magic aura.

Everyone stared at the two S-Class mages with awe. There power was intimidating. Alongside Gildarts, those two were known around Magnolia as Fairy Tail's powerhouses.

 _The fuck!_ Gajeel thought sweating. _What are they, monsters?_ He felt somewhat lucky that those two didn't participate in the battle against Phantom Lord.

"Enough." Makarov's cold, authoritative voice caught the tension, making Kurito and Laxus stop.

"Hmph, when I become the master, the last thing I'll allow is for someone to disrespect me." Laxus scowled.

"That wont be happening anytime soon, Laxus." Mira said.

Laxus turned to glare angrily at Mira. "What did you say, you washed up barmaid?" He seethed, making Mira cower back in fear. "A failure like you should not speak unless spoken to."

"I said enough!" Makarov shouted, angry at his grandson's behavior. "I wont tolerate any insult to any other guildmates, understood?"

Laxus growled before turning into a lightning bolt and storming out of the guild. Kurito glared at the trail the blonde haired mage left behind while others looked at the shaking Mira with sad looks.

Mira was shaking, her hands covering her face as tears ran down her face. "Now, now dear, let's go and have a drink." Cana coed as she rubbed comforting circles on the barmaid's back, leading her out of the guild.

Natsu looked down, gritting his teeth and cursing himself for not doing anything. The girls of the guild ran after Mira to comfort her, except Erza, who was fuming.

"Master, with all due respect, I don't care what happens, choose him and I wont accept it." Erza said angrily. Makarov sighed as he picked up the hint of violent intent in her words.

"I'll take that into consideration."

* * *

"1...2...3..." Inside a hideout, lighted by torches, a man with long spiky hair whispered as he sat on a stone throne. He heard the sound lightning striking outside, indicating the change of weather.

He remembered the past. The happiness he shared with his people, his family, and the lover he once had. He also remembered the final battle and one final sharp pain.

 _'Weather it be my son, my lover, my friend, or my brother...I refuse to die failing to protect what I believe in..'_

He asked the same question he kept asking for the last couple of years after his battle with his brother...

"What did you believe in? Love? It's born from hatred and sacrifice. Revolution? It can't be born without sacrifice. Your loved ones? They all will die eventually." The man whispered menacingly. "This world has been born through the hatred of humans. That what you couldn't understand, brother..." The man whispered.

He stood up and walked away through the halls of the hideout, passing a cloaked girl, a old man wearing a butler cloths, and a tanned woman that wore a simple purple jumpsuit that did a little to cover her curvaceous body. He stood in front one of the windows.

"Only gods can fix what humans ruined. And that will be now."

"For the wonderful Zeref, I'm ready to give my body and soul." The woman said lustfully.

"Shall I get everyone moving, Master?" The butler asked while the man nodded. The butler and the woman walked away, leaving the man together with the cloaked girl.

' _Brain and Jellal are working towards their main objectives.'_ The man thought, opening a book that showed pictures of Kurito when he arrived and pages filled with pictures from different years. From when he matured to how he is now. "Arouna prodigy, you have been influenced by Zeref."

"Now you will give it to me."

* * *

Kurito waited in the train station, a frustrated frown on his face. He sighed as he remembered how a certain red head managed to convince him to take her with him. They agreed to meet at 9 PM, but now it was 10, meaning that she was late.

Erza arrived at the train station. Her usual 10 to 15 cases had been replaced by 5 big ones, which she was pushing onto the train. "I should have expected." She heard Kurito sigh behind her, turning around, she sees that he's sporting a long, black cloak with a hooded mantle. The cloak was tied so his sleeveless black shirt was still shown. He also had a simple white shoulder bag.

"What? Like I said, everything I bring is vital for my mission. Besides, there's a limit to what I can fit into my Requip space. so I bring extra armor just in case." She explained as they boarded the train and took their seats. "So, what did you pack?" She asked curiously, eyeing his bag.

"Food for the trip. Unlike you, I'm a Caster Wizard, so I don't need to lug my magic around." He joked, excepting her to frown, but he noticed her face paling. "Don't tell me...you forgot to pack food?" He smirked as she face palmed.

" _I was so focused on packing light I forgot to pack a lunch."_ She thought, feeling her stomach growl. She skipped breakfast since she woke up late and needed to shower. ' _And this Train doesn't have a food vendor or cart.'_ She sighed.

"I'll share some with you." Kurito said, taking out a carrot from his bag. Erza turned to smile at the dragon slayer, but raised an eyebrow when she saw him smirk.

"Good thing I eyes and ears in the guild, otherwise, I would've forgotten to pack a carrot for your bunny outfit." He said with a grin, watching her blush.

"B-But that was s-something I used as a joke!" She defended as Kurito waved the carrot in front of her face. "Is this how an S-Class mage should act?"

"Wow, the great Titania resorting to using titles for comeback?" Kuritp retorted as Erza sunk in her seat. Suddenly, Erza's body glowed as she activated her magic. Kurito's eyes widen as his face heated up at the sight of Erza standing in her bunny outfit with a flushed face.

"Here. Now give me the damn carrot."

* * *

Mira sat on a bench in the park, covering her face as tears of anguish and pain rand down her cheeks. Cana sat beside her, wrapping a protective arm around her friend. She looked at Mira with an expression full of pity while inside, she was boiling with rage. How dare Laxus treat her like this? Didn't he know how much she loved him? Didn't he know what feelings she was holding for him?

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Mira?" Cana asked with a frustrated tone. "You're throwing away all your feelings for that jerk!"

Mira looked up while hiccuping. Her cheeks were puffy and red from crying as she looked at Cana.

"He doesn't deserve you, Mira! You worth so much more than him! Why, why do you keep doing this to yourself?" Cana was mad right now. She couldn't believe that her friend willingly kept her feelings for the same man that hurt her over and over.

Surprisingly, Mira gave her best friend a tearful smile. "I don't know, Cana. I love him. I love him more than words can ever express or say. I don't know why, but what I know is..." More tears ran down her cheeks as she tried her best to keep her smile despite the stabbing pain in her chest.

"I will always forgive him, because he made feel what it's like to be happy when all I could feel is pain."

* * *

In one of Magnolia's alleys, Laxus stood with a blank face. He was angry. At his stupid grandfather, at his weak guildmates, at the rival that somehow managed to surpass him. But mostly, he was angry at Mirajane.

He remembered his father's words. The words that haunted him and became his motto after Lisanna died. After everybody refused to acknowledge as being a strong mage instead of being Makarov's grandson...

' _Power is the only thing that matters..'_

It was late in the evening already when he set foot outside. Time seemed to pass by quickly whenever he was around her, he noted as he continued to walk aimlessly around town, trying to take in a breath of fresh air before heading home. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway even if he did go home early, as his mind drifts off onto subjects that he'd rather not face, specifically Mirajane.

He took a trip down memory lane, and remembered how his relationship with her began and ended. He was doubtful to call it a relationship, as thought that perhaps, the relationship itself meant nothing, and that it never really began in the first place. "Why would something that does not have a beginning have an ending?" He contemplated.

It was merely a game for both of them that he pulled out of his sleeve after Lisanna died, and she was still trying to cope. He had been rather attached to her younger sister as well, and he thought that perhaps it would be good to use each other's presence, in order to help her to supplant the loss of Lisanna, and in order for him to somehow deal with his darkness of being overshadowed by his grandfather. It all backfired on him as he did not know that he would end up falling deeply in love with her in the process.

Eventually, she started being distant for an unknown reason and it pained him more than it should. He did not bother ask why, nor did he say anything about it. He had his own troubles, after all. He thought that perhaps she had no need for him anymore, and that he was in too deep with his own problems, that he felt that he should not concern her with it any longer. In the end, his problems ended up consuming him, and changing him.

It has been too long since their little game ended; the fact that he still felt a sense of longing for her, and the fact that the countless what-ifs that he had to let go off still haunted him years after, was something that remotely frightened him.

Without even realizing it, he reached his apartment. Laxus scratched his head in frustration at the annoying thoughts that overcame him. He sighed in resignation, thinking that the reason of his deep contemplation on the matter was perhaps because the shot of tequila got to him really badly due to his exhaustion. He went into his apartment and decided to rest for the day, with the thought of finally confronting Mirajane, despite what happened, of his unresolved feelings plastered at the back of his mind, but he still remembered the same words...

' _Power is the only thing that matters. If feelings were so useful, your mother would've been still alive.'_

* * *

Erza placed Kurito in a similar embarrassing. The train became crowded, so she moved next to Kurito. However, she fell asleep while using his shoulder as a pillow. Luckily, she was in her default clothing, otherwise, it would've been worse. He couldn't help but catch the scent of strawberry and vanilla from her hair, threatening to set off his dragon instinct. He fidget in his seat. It wasn't a secret that he had a sort of a crush on the scarlet-haired knight, given their past, but he will not force himself on her.

The thought of Erza turning him down hurt him. It made him think that their was really something wrong with him. While everyone looked down at him for being an Arouna, Erza only saw him as Kurito.

He grimaced slightly at the ugly past he refused to acknowledge. His time in Grimoire Heart, the massacre he did, they were all engraved in his memory.

But know, he was back to his family, his brother, and Erza. He didn't know what to consider Erza after all this time, despite the feelings he had for her.

He stared at the sleeping beauty on his left. She trusted him so much she lowered her guard to the point where she could use him as a comfort.

Her eyes flickered, but in her head, she was having nightmares about her time at the tower. Kurito wondered about how much time she spent at the tower. He looked down softly at her fearful face. It was one of the lessons he learned, it was easy to ignore others pain when you've suffered too. He turned to look at the scenery through his window, messing Erza waking up.

"You always seem so lost in thought." Erza stated. "What do you think about? I mean, when you arrived at the guild, it was...weird." Erza was having a hard time asking him about his past. She, like everyone in Fiore, heard about the infamous Arouna Clan massacre, but in she felt different feelings and memories from Kurito. She never heard about his point of view of the massacre. She would never want to to tell anyone she cared about to tell her about memories that made their heart ache, but she wanted to comfort Kurito, the same way he comforted her.

Kurito sighed shakily. Well, he knew this question was coming, sooner or later. And he was sure Erza wouldn't be the last one to ask him.

"The ability of my eyes was awakened the night of the massacre." He begun as Erza's eyes were fixed on him, wanting him to continue. Kurito's bangs shadowed his face. "It happened...fast. Nobody excepted it." He stopped to take another shaky breath. Erza placed her hand on his and gave a supportive squeeze.

"Demons. It was the demons of Zeref." He muttered with a shallow voice, his eyes turning bright red. "They killed, raped, a-a-and even...ate them." He gritted his teeth while Erza's look of pity turned to one filled with horror. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop the contents of her small breakfast from coming out.

"That's why..." He looked at Erza, his Shinigami Eyes gazing into her chocolate brown one. "I will kill every last demon. I will kill Zeref himself. Nothing will stop me from achieving this goal, even if it's Fairy Tail."

Erza's eyes went wide. "And just like that? You'll abandon your friends?!" She said, her voice raising in anger.

"Make no mistake, Erza." Kurito said as he stood back to walk away as their stop came up. He turned to look at her through the corner of his bloody red eyes. "If the chance to avenge my clan came by, and I had to go through Fairy Tail to do it, I would do it, without hesitation." He stated darkly. "I've come to see you all as my family, but I swore to kill him no matter what."

He stepped out of the train, leaving a distraught Erza behind. He wondered if it was good to be too blunt about it, as he watched her walk to him with a thoughtful look.

The two walked around the town in silence. Every shop in he town was abandoned, except the bar and the tram leading to the mountain pass. They entered the bar and saw rough looking people. They noticed looks of suspicion as they took their seats.

The bartender approached them. "New in town, eh?" He asked with rough tone. "Don't see many clean cut men like you come round these parts." He said and Kurito and Erza raised their eyebrows.

"From the lack of trade, I'd guess you don't see much of anyone new come around." Erza commented.

"Ah, you see, many years ago, a mine was opened and a billionaire bought the land. And as a result, trade washed up. Most of the men here are minors working there now." The Bartender said and Kurito glanced around. The men were dirty. They had the look of men who spent most of their day underground.

"Mining what?" Kurito asked. As far as he knew, Lacrima wasn't naturally the most valued mineral right now.

"Slayer Magic Lacrimas." He said, making the S-Class mages eyes widen slightly. "Long ago, when Dragons, Phoenixs, and Gods where still around, they would breath their attacks all over the place, and the Lacrima in the ground would absorb the element, creating Dragon Lacrima which, as I'm sure you've guessed, can be implanted into wizards giving them the power of Slayer Magic." He explained.

"If there are mines full of these Lacrimas, then why is slayer magic so rare?" Erza asked. Of course, her best friend was a slayer, but they didn't know.

"Because not every Lacrima has the magic. In the 6 years, since the mine was opened, only 1 Lacrima containing Demon Slayer Magic has been harvested, which paid the billionaire back 10 times what the mine was worth." The Bartender said as men begin to surround Kurito and Erza, who were currently playing ignorant. "How about a tour?" His face turned sinister as everyone charges at the two S-Class mages. Kurito simply shrugged as Erza requipped her Heart Kreuz armor.

"Fair enough." Kurito whispered, unsheathing his sword and activating his eyes.

...

Moments later, all the man were scattered around Erza and Kurito, who sheathed their blades.

"Well, it looks like we're already unwelcomed." Kurito commented sarcastically. "Slayer Magic Lacrima...they're cultists of Zeref."

"They didn't want us to see what's inside the mine." Erza said.

"Well, I guess we know where to go." Kurito said, hinting to the mine's entrance.

Erza nodded, taking the hint. Kurito noticed her fidgeting. He knew that she still thought about his words back in the train.

"Are you...going to kill them?" Her question caught him off guard. Erza gave him a hard stare, demanding an answer.

Kurito sighed, rubbing t he back of his head. "They may have some useful information for the Council." Erza's face lit up as she smiled. Kurito turned to walk to the mine. "You really don't mean what you said." She said as she matched his stride.

Her smile turned to a grin. "And here I was, worried about you acting as a tsundere."

"Shut up." Kurito grumbled, making her giggle.

 **Deep inside the mine:**

"It seems our distarction failed." A women laughed lightly. "He's truly remarkable."

"Well, he's yours, Anstasia, but remember, he's to be kept alive. He's master's kin afterall." An old man wearing a butler cloths said.

Anstatsia bowed slightly as the butler left. "Very well, Aemor."

* * *

Erza and Kurito entered the mine. Luckily, the walls of the mine had torches, but that didn't stop Kurito from using his eyes.

"I've never heard about Devil Slayers, or phoenixs." Erza said.

"There are many things that we don't know about. Magic is an infinite knowledge." Kurito stated.

"That was pretty wise."

"I know. I deserve to see the bunny outfit for that."

Erza blushed in embarrassment. "S-Shut up!"

"My,my, aren't you two all lovey-dovey?" As they reached the center of the mine, they heard a feminine voice. They were on guard as they saw a curvaceous women, with tanned skin and black hair, wearing a black dress, standing in front of them with a smirk.

"Kurito The Last, Erza the Titania, let me welcome you to our respectful mine." She said with a fake bow. "Looking at you now, Kurito, I kind of want to keep you as a pet."

"You must be the mastermind behind the people's disappearance." Erza said as she unsheathed her sword.

Anstatsia pouted. "Stay out of it, Titania. I'm talking to Kurito-kun~" She purred.

"Let's start by asking you nicely. What is your purpose?" Kurito said, glaring seriously at her while unsheathing his sword.

"Aww, you're rejecting me, Senpai?" Anstatsia said dramatically, covering her eyes with her arm.

Suddenly, Kurito appeared behind her. "I'm all out for sweat talk, but later!" He slashed at her excepting blood to come out, but what came shocked him and Erza.

Sand...

Sand came from his slash. He could see Erza's face through Anstatsia. Erza wore an equally shocked face while Anstatsia laughed.

"Nice try, but my touch is only for the beautiful." She said as Kurito jumped back. "Let's see what I can do to make you perfect." She smiled gracefully.

 _At least we're sure she uses caster magic._ Erza thought.

"Sand Spear!"

A spear made of sand was shoot at Kurito, he jumped with a grunt, dodging the hit.

"Sand Crusher!" Anstasia turned her arm to sand and enlarged it. "PERISH!" She brought her fist down at Kurito, but Erza dashed and slashed at her hand, making doplets of sand scatter.

"I've got you." Erza said, glaring at Anstatsia.

Anstatsia laughed. "I've told you, bitch, no matter how many times you attack me, the result will be the same." Her large sand fist regenerated. "I can't wait to put that cute collar on you, Kurito~" She purred.

She brought it down again, forcing the two S-Class to dodge. "Any plans?" Kurito grunted.

"How about getting serious?" Erza growled with a glare.

Kurito laughed sheepishly. "Well, unless you want us to be buried here?"

Anstatsia, who overheard them, laughed. "Oh my, being arrogant makes you hot."

Erza turned to glare at Kurito angrily. "Or do you like her already?" She growled out with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"W-What? Hell no!"

"Oh, you make me blush." Anstatsia hugged herself with a dazed smile. "And that's making me want you more! Sand Blaster!" She returned her arm to its original state and extended her palm, shooting out a stream of sand at the two mages. Erza moved her sword to block it, but the blast kept pushing her back. Kurito took the chance to lung at Anstasia.

"Force Dragon's Iron Fist!" His fist was covered by a blue, glowing sphere. His fist went through her as she laughed. "You want to be inside me that much, huh?" She asked seductively. She sent Erza flying with the blaster and grabbed Kurito's wrist.

"Sorry, you don't have protection! Sand Explosion!" She created a glowing sphere and pushed it at Kurito's chest, sending him flying back and crashing into the mine's walls.

"Kurito!" Erza shouted, running to her friend's side. She looked at him in worry. "Are you okay?"

Kurito growled as he rubbed the back of his aching head. "She's strong and untouchable."

Erza turned to glare at a laughing Anstatsia. "It's nothing like Aemor said. You're not that strong."

' _He's an S-Class mage. He must have something in his sleeves.'_ Anstasia thought seriously.

"It seems we're getting pushed back." Erza groaned in frustration.

Anstasia chuckled. "Pushed? You've already lost, hun."

' _Well, she's untouchable and all our attacks pass through her. Her body is literally sand. We need to harden her.'_ Kurito thought before his eyes widen as a thought hit him. ' _We don't need water..."_

Kurito stood up and dusted his clothes. He activated his eyes and glared at Anstasia. "Erza, I have a plan, but I need you to trust me."

Erza felt an uneasy feeling in her chest, but decided to ignore it and nod.

Erza's eyes widen as Kurito whispered his plan to her. "Are you crazy!?" She said in disbelief.

Kurito sighed. "This is the only way."

"Sorry to cut in your chat lovebirds, but disappear! Sand Blaster!" Anstatsia exclaimed as she extendended her arm again and fired another sand cannon at the S-Class mages. They jumped to different directions, dodging her attack.

"Damn it, just don't get hurt." Erza said begrudgingly as she requipped to her Heaven Wheel's Armor.

"Ooooh, nice dress, Titania." Anstatisa snickered. "Is it supposed to scratch me or give Kurito a boner?"

Kurito blushed. "S-Shut up!"

Anstasia laughed. "It did! Now I'm jealous." She smiled maliciously.

"Let's go, Kurito!" Erza shouted, summoning more than 50 swords.

Kurito nodded and turned to Erza. "Bring it."

Anstatsia's smile fell as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to fight me?"

Both mages ignored her as they continued to glare at each other before Erza exclaimed, "Dance my swords!" She shot all her swords at Kurito, who crossed his arms in front of him like he was going to block it. The swords slashed at Kurito's arms and sides, leaving bloody cuts and bruises and tearing parts of his clothes.

Erza looked at Kurito worriedly while Kurito smiled at her, silently reassuring her he was okay. He turned to glare at Anstatsia, who still had a confused look on her face.

"Prepare yourself." He exclaimed, taking a fighting stance.

Anstatsia snickered. "I already told you, I already won." Kurito dashed at her, with his fist raised and illuminated by a blue light. Anstatsia smirked, but her smirk as replaced by shock when Kurito's fist connected to her abdomen. "Force Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Kurito's fist sent her flying back and smashing into one of the mine's walls, small rocks to fall around her. She groaned in pain as she placed a hand over her bruised belly. She glared at him with gritted teeth. "H-How!?"

She noticed the doplets of blood falling from his arms. "Sand can only change shape if it's turned to mud. And to turn it to mud, it has to hardened." He raised his blood-drenched fist. "And blood can harden sand."

"Clever." Anstatsia said as she slowly stood up. "B-But I can't lose to you!" She lunged to attack Kurito. "Sand Blades!" She created daggers of sand and lashed at Kurito, who easily dodged and released a flurry of fast punches at her. "Force Dragon's Claw!" Kurito's leg was covered with blue energy as he kicked her, sending her flying up. "This is the end! Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts: Azure Essence, Exploding Thunder Blade!" Blue, glowing energy covered his arms as he jumped up after Anstatsia. The later trust her palms forward. "Desert Slasher!" She molded fan-shaped blades and sent them at Kurito. Kurito swiped his arms in a circular fashion, creating a powerful, and highly destructive, torrent of lightning that barraged Anstatsia's blades, and in the end, Anstatsia herself, causing a big explosion.

Anstatsia fell the ground, defeated. Her body covered in bruises and burns from Kurito's attack. Erza smiled joyously as she ran to Kurito, who stood panting.

"Kurito! Are you okay?"

He turned to smile at Erza. "I'm okay as long as you are."

Erza blushed. "S-Shut up, idiot. You're the wounded one here." She pointed at the cuts on his arms and torso worriedly.

Nether of them noticed Anstasia chuckling. "I waited my whole life to fight an Arouna, and it seems I've been bested."

Her words caught Kurito's attention, thank to his dragon's hearing. He turned looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"

Erza noticed Kurito's eyes glowing bloody red as Anstatsia spoke. "The reason I was hear was to destroy all evidence, so now..." She revealed a lacrima bomb fused into her chest. "So you may as now run, my dear Kurito.."

"Master, forgive me, it seems I've failed you..." She whispered with a sad smile as the lacrima glowed brightly.

Kurito and Erza didn't need to be told twice as they ran for the mine's exit. They jumped from it in the moment the bomb exploded, causing the entire mine to fall and bury everything under it.

Erza and Kurito looked at the ruins silently. For Kurito, feelings of curiosity and frustration swelled inside of him. He never got to know what Anstasia meant. What frustrated him more is the fact she mumbled his clan's name. For Erza, she was glad it was finally over, but she felt sad that Anstatsia had to die like that. Afterall, she once felt close to dying for nothing.

"You're injuries..." Erza's voice pulled Kurito from his troubled thoughts. "You got hurt...for me?" She asked, a, mix of giddiness and guilt swarming inside of her.

"I guess you were right as usual...I have changed." He simply said as they begin the journey back to the train station, with Erza throwing his arm around her her shoulders. "Makarov is going to flip." He joked and she laughed in agreement.

"Big time."

"Erza...I'm glad you're okay." He said, catching her off guard. "Fighting her wasn't easy." He said and she nodded

"I don't know why, but she looked like she was...haunted by something. She represented why I fight hard, but she also represents my biggest fear. The tower is still out there, Kurito. Somewhere, my friends are still in that hell and I can't do anything to help them." She stated in anger. Kurito understood what she meant. Anstasia was one of Zeref worshipers that could've tormented many just to achieve her selfish goals.

"It's never easy to face up to our darkness. I hope when the time comes for me, I can follow your footsteps." Kurito said, feeling dizzy after all the blood loss. "Your strong will is something I admire about you, Erza. In fact, I'm jealous of it."

She was about to retort, but stopped herself when she saw that he fell asleep. ' _Fool, saying something like that and falling asleep, doubt you'll even remember it.' S_ he smiled.

* * *

 **In Fairy Tail:**

The last week had been quite the eventful one. The guild welcomed two new members, Juvia Lockser and Gajeel Redfox, two former members of Phantom Lord. While Juvia was welcomed with a positive cheer, Gajeel wasn't. His actions in destroying the Guild, attacking Team Shadow Gear, and his cavalier attitude towards it made him untrustworthy to say the least.

However, he humored Team Shadow Gear when Jet and Droy called him outside for a 'Talk'.

"So, what did you guys wanna talk about?" He asked casually, receiving glares from the two guys while Levy hid behind the tree, clearly terrified of the Dragon Slayer.

"Makarov may have let you join, but don't think for one second that anyone accepts you as a member. We haven't forgotten what you did to us!" Jet yelled.

"So that's what this is about." Gajeel smirked. "Well then, let's just get this over with." He stated as Jet hit him at his High Speed, sending him into the air, setting him up for Droy's Plant Magic. Gajeel could have easily flattened them, but he figured if he just let them vent, then this would blow over.

However..."Well, looks like you're giving the new guy a hard time." Jet and Droy turned to see Laxus walk past Levy without even noticing her. "However, since it's the guy who wrecked our guild hall, I understand how you feel." He stood right in front of the weakened Gajeel "You little punk, it's because of you our guild is seen as a joke!" He growled as the Iron Dragon Slayer is engulfed in an overwhelming lightning.

Gajeel is forced back by another blow from Laxus, which leaves him lying on the ground as the Lightning Wizard proceeds to stomp on his head, insulting him.

"Hey Laxus...I think you're going too far." Droy said sweating while Jet nodded. "Yeah, this is overboard."

"Weaklings like you don't give me orders!" He turned around and shoot a bolt of Lightning at them. However, it went past them and straight for Levy. The three looked on. Jet and Droy's eyes filled with fear as the bolt explodes. However, they were surprised to see Gajeel standing in front of her, his arm singed with the bolt despite turning it into an Iron pillar.

Laxus gave Gajeel a bored look before storming off.

"Are you done with me? Cuz I got stuff to do." He walked away. It was then that the three realized that Gajeel had let them attack him in order to be accepted.

"G-Gajeel!" Levy called out as he almost losed his footing, only for the Iron Dragon Slayer to blow her concerns off. "Leave me alone."

 **_Three day's later_**

Erza returned from the capital and told everyone about what happened to her and Kurito. She said that he said that he will be training and will skip the Harvest Festival. Natsu was shocked to hear about Kurito being injured and regretted not going with them. Needless to say, he was tempted to go find his brother, but figured it would be better to participate in the festival since it was likely Laxus, Gildarts, and Mystogan wouldn't show up.

"So he's training himself again. He always does that whenever he's troubled." Makarov said scratching his chin in thought. "Well, then I guess my plan of him using his sexual appeal to appease the ladies is out the window." He sighed

"You still have me" Natsu said and Makarov waved him off. "Just cook a fish with your fire or something."

Natsu pouted. "That's just cold."

 **Outside:**

' _I've had enough of you dragging this guild to mud old man.'_ Laxus glared at the bright lights coming from the guild hall. ' _One way or another, I'm taking this guild, and when I do, there will be changes. No one will look down on Fairy Tail or make jokes about us ever again.'_ He turned to walk away. ' _I will get rid of everyone who is weak!'_ He then disappeared into the crowd.

Watching from above, a cloaked man with blue hair watched Laxus leave. He had multiple magic staffs and a bandana and a balaclava that covered 90% of his face with hints of blue hair peeking out

"It seems things are about to get interesting."

"Erza."


	9. Battle of Fairy Tail! The Parade Begins!

**Hi there guys! Hope you're still there. Sorry for not updating, I had finals and assignments these last couple of weeks, but thankfully I had time to finish this chapter. I will be releasing the next one in 5 or 6 days, since I'm free this week.**

 **Thanks for your support 3**

* * *

Sitting under a tree eating a sandwich, Kurito notices that his little picnic is starting to attract local wildlife in the form of a family of raccoons, he simply hands the daddy Racoon the remains of his food before they scamper off into the bushes.

"I didn't take you for an animal lover, Kurito" He looked up looks to see Ultear walking from the shadows. "So much about you turned out to be...disappointing." She said with a frown.

"I haven't spent a single second of my life concerned about how you felt about my choices." Kurito said as he stood up to leave. "I don't recall giving you my permission to use my name so casually, councilor." She grinned. "I wonder how your big daddy feel when he sees how lose I'm to his precious daughter." Kurito said sarcastically.

Ultear glared at him angrily. "I wonder how Fairy Tail would react to you being a member of Grimoire Heart." She retorted only for him to smirk.

"Me? First off: I only know that your little guild is associated with the Balam Alliance, and if I wanted," He paused as she could feel his overwhelming magical power. "I could wipe it out if it crossed my mind." He stated as his magic returned to normal. "Second: I think you you're confusing things. I only played along with your tricks to gather information." He smirked once again as he turned to leave.

"You met Zeref...didn't you?" She asked and he paused. "You're the only survivor of the Arouna Clan." He turned around, his Shinigami Eyes activated. His icy glare sent shivers down her spine.

"Yeah, years ago right before I joined Fairy Tail." He said, giving half the truth. "He was walking the earth alive while you thought he was sealed." He stated, shocking her.

"So our purpose hasn't been altered much." She scratched her chin while Kurito scoffed.

"Deluded cultists like you never cease to amazing me." He turned to leave, but Ultear spoke the words that always set his temper on fire.

"So...who is Fujitaka?" He turned to confront her but found that she's gone. He knew she had gotten one on him. Despite the years that have passed, and how much he improved, the mentioning of Fujitaka and Zeref stirred him so much he still shook with rage.

"Kurito!" He turned to find Erza waving at him.

He took a deep breath to regain his composure and smiled at his childhood friend. "Yo, how's your preparation for Fantasia going?"

Erza frowned at him. "Unlike you, slacker, I've been holding the front lines."

"Just to come back at night and read _your_ novels." Kurito teased, making Erza blush. Truth is, the requip mage was a fan of slutty novels. The novels that will leave her fantasizing about a certain dragon slayer .

"S-Shut up, you idiot! What do you know about art? These novels talk about the triumphs and trials of true lovers!" She defended with steam coming out of her ears.

Kurito tilted his head to the side. "Wait, does that mean you're a closet pervert?"

Erza requipped to her Black Wing Armor, blushing madly in anger and embarrassment. She raised her sword. "Not. A. Single. Word."

Kurito sweat dropped. "Okay, Okay, geez."

"Oh by the way, I wanted to show you something." Erza said.

Kurito noticed that she looked down while clasping her hands in nervousness. "What is it?"

Erza's body glowed as she activated her magic. When the glow died down, Kurito's eyes widen at her new Gothic Loli outfit.

"H-How do I look?" Erza said timidly while looking away. Despite the fact that she was the confident, ruthless Titania of Fairy Tail, she always felt nervous around Kurito. To her, Kurito was someone she couldn't live her life without.

Kurito grinned. "It looks awesome on you!"

Erza's face glowed brightly. "R-Really?"

Kurito nodded with a smile. "It is. Are you planning to get into the Miss Fairy Tail contest?" Erza nodded. "I really doubted that I will do well against a top model like Mira. That's why I needed to choose an outfit that would catch everyone's attention."

"You'll do fine. After all, you're known as our Titania." Kurito said with a thumps up.

"I'll take you up on that, Kurito of the Shinigami."

Every member of Fairy Tail was gathered in the Guild Hall for the competition. Up first was Bisca Mulan, the green haired teammate of Alzack Connell. It was no secret that the two dated, but too embarrased to admit, much to Mira's displeasure. She is sporting a two piece bikini, adding to her routine, she used her Weapons Magic to shoot a three coins she threw up.

Cana came next, also sporting a skimpier bra and lacy bottomed bikini combo. "Take a gander at my magic boys." She flirted, using her Card Magic to infatuate the crowd.

Juvia followed in a blue bikini using her Water Magic to perform a dance, of course her only interest was impressing Gray, who sadly wasn't paying attention at all much to her dismay.

Levy came out wearing her normal attire. 'This is so embarrassing, why did I let you talk me into this Lu.' She thought, blushing. She waved nervousely, earning a cheer from the crowd.

Erza came out, requiping into a Gothic Lolita costume, performing a twirl which earns the loudest cheer from the crowd. ' _This is fun and all, but I doubt my credibility with the other S Class wizards.'_ She thought. She caught Kurito's as he gave her an encouraging smile and gave her a thumps up, causing her to blush.

Lucy came out wearing a cheerleader costume, putting her cute, sexy, young feminine charms to work. _'What was I worried about? I'm rocking this outfit and they love it!'_ She joins the rest as the final and likely winner walks out with a bright smile

"Geez, Mira isn't even doing anything and she's winning." Kurito said from the crowd. He couldn't lie since testosterone and lust was filling the guild. _'I don't like the idea of all these guys having those kind of thoughts about Mira.'_ He thought.

"Now the moment you've been waiting for, the votes are in and the winner and this year's Miss Fairy Tail is...!" Max begin as the curtains spread. Everyone's eyes widen in shook as all contenders were turned to stone.

"The obvious choice is me." Evergreen flew onto the stage and her Fairy Wings vanished. "I am the true Queen of Fairy Tail after all."

"Evergreen! what is the meaning of this?" Makarov growled as he was about to approach Evergreen, the said woman was joined by Freed and Bickslow on stage and Laxus appeared in front of his Thunder God Tribe. "Laxus...I should have known it was your idea." The Master growled.

"Relax, old man, it's all in the spirit of the Fantasia Festival." He smirkd, wrapping his arm around the petrified Lucy, an action that almost causes Natsu to lunge only for Kurito to hold him back before he did anything reckless. "We're going to play a game to see which Fairy Tail is stronger." He grinned. "Yours or mine, you and your so called children need to find and defeat me and the Thunder God Tribe."

"The Game will last for 3 hours, if you can't win by then well, then...these dullards go poof and turn to rubble." Evergreen laughed obnoxiously, making Natsu charge at them after braking free of Kurito's grip.

"I'll take you right now Laxus!" He bellowed. "Fire Dragons Iron Fist!"

"I like your spirit, but you need to calm down." Laxus fired a lightning bolt at Natsu, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Everyone facepalmed. "This idiot never learns." Kurito shook his head.

Kurito looked up and Laxus, his eyes turning red. "And what do you think you're doing?"

Laxus laughed. "No need for that scary face, dinosour. I already said it's a game."

"Cut the crap, Laxus. It's the same old story, isn't it?" Kurito growled.

Laxus shrugged. "Who knows. The stage is sit now."

"If you want to fight me, first you need to take on and defeat the Thunder God Tribe." Laxus laughed as the group left in a flash of yellow. Soon, the Guild is emptied as everyone begins looking Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow.

"I'll show that Grandson of mine a thing or too." Makarov heads for the door only to hit an invisible wall. "One of Freed's runes!" The Master yelled.

"Anyone over the age of 80 is forbidden to leave." Kurito read the first line. "S-Class leveled members are also forbidden until the last Fairy has fallen." He growled. This meant that he too couldn't leave.

"Don't worry man." Gray walks up "I'll take down Freed, this way the barrier can come down and you guys can get Laxus." He said as he dashed out.

"I will beat Laxus's ass!" Natsu exclaimed as he started running.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed behind him. However, Natsu hit the invisible wall, making Happy, Kurito, and Happy cry out in comical shook.

"You're 80, Natsu!"

"THE HELL!" Natsu yelled trying to pass the wall, but all in vine.

"Guys, look!" Kurito pointed towards words in the air. The members of Fairy Tail were fighting each other; just as Laxus said; a survival battle. Makarov was shocked to see this. His children, destroying each other.

"Stop it… stop it, you fools!"

"They won't stop, gramps." Kurito caught Makarov's attention, and continued. "They want to free their friends. If I was out, I could've stopped this, but for now our only chance is that someone takes down Freed."

Natsu whined. "I want to fight too! Let me out of here! I want to fight Laxus too!"

 **BAMP!**

"Didn't you listen? The only way is for someone to defeat Freed!" Makarov yelled as Natsu rubbed the bump on his head.

"Natsu, gramps, look." Kurito pointed the two towards the words in the air. The names of Fairy Tail members were popping up at an alarming rate, making Kurito, Makarov, Natsu and Happy feel worse.

"So this is what Laxus meant by 'Battle of Fairy Tail'… Freed has set up barriers all around town, and the only way to get out of them is by… surviving." Happy explained. Despite all the chances of getting out of this place, Natsu still didn't give up.

"C'mon! It's just a battle festival! I cannot possibly be eighty years old!"

"Yeah, I wonder too. How come you cannot get out? Neither do I think you're eighty years old!" Kurito also added, but his attention was mostly facing towards the status of the battle. And he was quite surprised.

"Forty two left? It's barely been an hour, and half of the members are already out…" despite taking his eyes of the battle status for a few seconds, the numbers greatly changed, and it was only getting worse. And apparently, Elfman lost to Evergreen.

"Well, how does it feel now, 'gramps'? Your allies… no. How do you call them, brats? How does it feel to watch them fighting each other for survival? Well, with all of you out of the picture, along with Erza… there's no one who can beat me. So, old geezer. Will you surrender?" Shocked by the voice, they turned to face Laxus's thought projection.

"And all of this is because?" Kurito asked, his eyes turning bright red from rage.

"No need to put on a nasty face, Kurito." Laxus smirked.

"Keep on playing, Laxus, but if anything happens to the girls, you will pay!" Kurito growled angrily.

If anyone can stand up to Laxus in terms of sheer power, it would be Kurito, but he couldn't do anything so he decided to apply some pressure.

"Well, too bad you can't do anything!" Laxus retorted. Suddenly, a smile appeared on Kurito's face, confusing Laxus.

"Gray is still out there. I think he can still beat Freed. And that's all I need. I'll defeat even Bixlow and Evergreen if I have to!" sadly, the odds weren't stacked in Kurito's favor.

"Umm… Kurito?"

"What, Happy?"

"Look…" Gray was defeated; by Bixlow. Kurito facepalmed himself.

"Well, there goes that chance." Laxus laughed. And again, Natsu's emotions decided his actions. He tried to attack Laxus, but no luck.

"Stop this, Laxus. I… surrender." Makarov announced, making everyone around him look at him in shock, except Laxus, who smirked in victory.

"What? Gramps, you can't do that!" Natsu didn't believe what he just heard.

"This ain't exactly about giving up." Kurito said glaring at Laxus. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

"I just found out why you're doing all of this. So you can do whatever you want to the guild; you want to be the guild's master." After Kurito explained, Laxus couldn't help but respond with a maniac laugh.

"Ha ha ha! So you finally understand? Well gramps, will you object?" but Laxus got no answer from Makarov.

"Tch. Let it be. The clock's ticking." And with that, the projection of Laxus disappeared.

Kurito gritted his teeth. His confidence and patience running thin. He turned to look at Erza's statue, causing his face to soften. ' _I promised to protect you. There must be some way to save her and everyone else.'_

He looked around and saw everyone's expressions. Makarov looked down in both anger and disappointment while Natsu held back himself in rage. Happy had a look of fear on his face.

Kurito could say that he feels the same emotions they're feeling, but it wasn't the time to feel, it was the time to think. Suddenly, an idea pooped in his head. He was going to ask fro help from someone he never thought he will.

"Gajeel, what about you?" He turned to look at the bar.

"WHAT!?" Makarov, Natsu and Happy looked in shock at Gajeel, who stood up from the bar, eating some iron.

"What?" Gajeel replied lazily.

"Don't you wanna fight? Go out there and kick anyone who's with Laxus!" Kurito said in an encouraging way.

Gajeel swallowed the iron and cracked his knuckles. "I've got a bone to pick up with him anyways."

Kurito grinned in hope. Maybe there was a way they could win this afterall.

 **BAMP!**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Gajeel couldn't pass the barrier.

"YOU'RE 80 YEARS OLD!?" Natsu yelled comically.

"THE HELL I AM! HOW THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN WORK?!"

Makarov sighed exasperatedly as Kurito sighed in depression. "Maybe we should destroy everything. Without a guild, he can't be a master."

 **BAMP!**

"WHAT KIND OF IDEA IS THAT YOU IDIOT!?" Makarov shouted, his fist raised.

"I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOURS, OLD MAN!" Kurito shouted back, rubbing the bump on his head.

Suddenly, Natsu grinned mischievously. "I know! I'll bring Erza back!" He turned and walked hurriedly to the petrified S-Class mage.

"What are you doing!? Stop it, you idiot!" Kurito ran after Natsu, trying to stop him, but it was too late as Natsu heated up his hands and placed them on Erza's body. Kurito's actions startled Natsu, causing him to push the statue by accident, leaving a crack on it.

"Natsu, you're dead." Kurito said with a death glare, making Natsu sweatdrop. Kurito knelt down, feeling anxious as he looked at Erza's stoned face. He felt hopeless at not being able to keep his cool and not being able to solve the problem.

"Hey, we can fix this with a little glue, right? GLUE HAPPY, WE NEED GLUE!"

"AYE!"

"You idiot, you think glue will fix this? You mind must have melted!"

"All of you…" as Ryu was holding the statue, it slowly started to crack even more… and eventually free Erza. As she regained consciousness, her surprised face turned into a lethal one, looking towards Natsu.

"I feel warm... was that you, Natsu?" She said coldly as she ran towards the pink-haired dragon slayer. She punched him, sending him flying towards the roof. "WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?!"

"ERZA IS BACK!" Happy cheered.

"Erza...but how?" Makarov asked confused, but relieved at her safety.

"The artificial eye." Ryu replied.

"Huh?" Both Erza and Makarov's attention turned towards Kurito. As Kurito stood up, he cleaned his forehead of all the sweat which occurred after all the short tension, and continued.

"Due to Erza having an artificial eye, Evergreen's spell didn't work entirely on her… thank god, I almost had a heart attack." Ryu was still a little tense, but he calmed down.

"I suppose you heard everything then, right?" Happy asked.

"That's right."

"YES!" Makarov startled everyone.

"Then we can still win! Take that, Laxus!" Just as Erza was about to head out, she was briefly stopped by Kurito.

"Erza, wait a second!"

"Huh?" She turned back. When Kurito stopped right in front of her, he took a deep breath, and started to speak.

"Listen, Erza. If it's possible, I want you to take out Freed as soon as possible. But, not before you get your revenge. Find out where he is by 'talking' to Evergreen about his location. I want Laxus for myself." Confidence was heard in Kurito's words, he wanted to fight Laxus. A smile from Erza reassured Kurito.

"Alright, Kurito, I'll do it your way."

"Hey, thanks." But before Erza could head out again, she was stopped when the number of combatants changed, from four to five.

"But who could it…" Kurito was unsure, he had no idea.

"Think about it a little more." And with that, Erza was gone. Finally, Kurito was calm again. All he had to do was wait. He took a chair with himself, sit down, and all he had to do was wait out until he could get out.

' _This has gone on long enough, Laxus. You've crossed the line, and you're going to pay for that.'_

* * *

"Come on, what's taking her so long?" Natsu's voice could be heard; he was anxious to fight Laxus.

"Calm down Natsu. The only thing we can do now is wait." Kurito tried to stop Natsu's childish behavior, but it didn't work.

"But I can't wait to fight Laxus!" And again, Natsu barged into what Kurito took as a 'personal' matter. Kurito wouldn't mind taking the role of a 'savior', but it didn't take a genius to know Natsu would stand no chance against Laxus. Also, Kurito wanted to have a stand-off with Laxus for quite some time, even if he hated to admit. So of course, he had to think of a way to stop him… or maybe, them.

"Shut it, salamander. I will take care of that guy." Gajeel replied back.

" _Great._ " Gajeel just made Kurito's task harder. He knew Erza would take care of Fried sooner or later, so he had to hurry and think of a way to stop the two dragon slayers. He tried to think about an intelligent choice; convince them to step away from the fight. Even Kurito didn't knew why he thought about such an idea in the first place; the bickering between the two proved that this plan wouldn't work.

"I'll fight him, not you!" Natsu replied back to Gajeel with an aggressive comment.

"Please! He took you down with one hit!" Gajeel responded back. And the fight between the two started. But before it could get down to punches and kicks, Kurito stepped in between them, and separated the two using his hands.

"Whoa, enough! This won't get us anywhere!" The problem was, Kurito still didn't know what to do. But then something suddenly came to his mind.

"Alright, how about this? You two play a game rock, paper, scissors! The winner gets to fight Laxus!" The idea seemed stupid, Kurito knew it was. A few seconds of silence and frozen stances from Natsu and Gajeel started to make Kurito think that not even those two were stupid enough to agree with such an idea. But suddenly…

"Hell yeah! Come on, bucket head! I'll take you on!" Natsu agreed to the idea.

"Pfft, please salamander. You've no chance against me." And Gajeel too. As the two were ready to decide, Kurito quickly grabbed both Natsu and Gajeel's heads, and smashed them against each other, with a quite astonishing force. Natsu fell down quickly, in an unconscious state; the same was supposed to happen to Gajeel too. But he stood there, frozen, with a normal look on his face.

The dragon slayers eyes clashed as Kurito's turned red. "Look, Gajeel, I know that you're not as stupid as Natsu when it comes to swinging punches randomly, that's why, I will take on Laxus myself." Kurito said in a serious tone.

To Kurito's surprise, Gajeel grinned. "That's because of your girlfriend, right?"

Kurito looked up thoughtfully. "Well, not exactly, wait a minute.." Kurito's face flushed as he looked at Kajeel's smirking one. "HOW DID YOU KNOW!?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Honestly, you're more interesting than him, Kurito of the Shinigami, so I don't care. All you need is to beat his ass, then I'll challenge you, is that clear?"

"Well I'll try my best. Laxus isn't a piece of cake to beat. Not even I think I can beat him, and I don't mean to brag, but for now, I am the best candidate to take him down. Of course Mystogan would be a good match for him, but I doubt he's here right now. There's also Gildarts, but the old man has wandered off for so long I don't even remember. I have to take care of Laxus. He's taken this way too far." As Kurito finished, something surprising happened, the statues returned to normal.

"Wha- what happened?" Lucy was surprised, but she wasn't alone. The other girls who were taken hostage were quite as shocked as well. But the girls returning back to their normal forms was also a sign. The sign that Evergreen was beaten by Erza.

' _Okay Erza, slow and steady.'_ Kurito knew Erza could handle the situation. All that she needed to do was defeat Fried, and Kurito could handle the rest. Or at least he'd try. Just as Makarov was explaining the girls what was happening, another sudden event came to life. Magical enchantment boards surrounded everyone in the building, and a voice was heard; Laxus' voice.

"Can you hear me, old man? And everyone from the guild too..." Laxus's voice seemed different from the last time his voice was heard. He sounded somewhat... worried.

"Sadly, the rules have been changed. I was forced to activate the Thunder Palace…" As soon as Makarov heard this, he was outraged.

"Laxus! Are you insane? Don't you realize you're putting the lives of innocent people at risk?" And sadly, Makarov was right. From the moment Laxus activated the Thunder Palace, innocent people were in danger too.

"SO, old man! Do you retire, or will you keep trying? There's one hour and ten minutes left to beat us! Hahahaha!" and so, the magical enchantments disappeared, along with Laxus' voice. But the bad news wouldn't stop there. Suddenly, Makarov fell on the ground.

"Master! What's wrong?" Things were just getting worse.

"Fast! He needs medicine!" Mirajane knew what the problem was, Makarov was sick. As fast as she went outside, she immediately came back.

"Everyone, look!" Mira shouted as she pointed outside. Everyone followed Mira's orders.

"What are those things?" Cana was confused, but she was not alone.

"Thunder Lacrima…" Levy added.

"Yep, that's it." Kurito said, as he came from behind. He continued.

"I've seen Laxus use this a few times when me and him were out on missions, but I don't know how to stop it."

"And how does it work?" Levy asked. Kurito knew his answer in no way can be good, so he took a deep breath, and replied after.

"As you can see, the lacrima surrounds the entire town. And… well, to put it simple, that lacrma could destroy Magnolia, entirely." And another series of bad news just rolled onto everyone. Things were getting worse and worse by the minute, and solving the problems became constantly more difficult.

"Then we just have to destroy those lacrima, right?" Bisca's voice could be heard.

"I'm not going to let that happen! Sniper Rifle: Ex-quip!" in a matter of seconds, a huge rifle was summoned into Bisca's hands, and she took aim at one of the huge lacrima, floating in the air. And in another few seconds, she took it down, with one clean shot.

"Wow, great job, Bisca!" Cana praised Bisca's aim. But Kurito felt that something isn't okay.

"It was too easy." Kurito added, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Easy or not, I'll take down all of them-" Bisca said, but she couldn't finish her sentence. In a shocking moment, she was struck down by lightning, and she fell on the ground, unconscious.

"What is going on?" Cana was freaking out. It was all a pile of mess. Even Kurito was starting to lose it's temper.

"Dammit!" he couldn't help but punch a wall to relieve some of the stress. His main problem was that he couldn't do anything to help; a simple, stupid spell stopped him. After a few moments, he calmed down, and he turned towards Cana.

"Cana, listen, I want you to evacuate as much people as you can."

"But what about you?" Cana accepted Kurito's order, but she was still interested in what Kurito would do.

"I can't do anything for now. Unless Fried is defeated. But as soon as I can get out of this place, I'm going after Laxus." And with a simple nod, Cana was off. As soon as she disappeared, Kurito took a moment to think.

' _To think you would use the entire townsfolk as hostages…You don't have any limits, do you? I'm starting to think you're worse than Hades._ _But what can I do to get out?'_ If Bisca and Cana didn't give up, neither can Kurito, despite the fact that he started to feel defeated. Laxus just thought about everything.

"Kurito." Suddenly, Levy grabbed his attention. As Kurito faced her, she continued.

"This is an enchantment, right?"

"Where are you going with this, Levy? I'm seriously lost right now."

"That's pretty much written magic. I can try to do something about it, right?" and in a flash, Levy just gave Kurito some hope. Suddenly, Kurito grabbed hold of Levy.

"You're a genius, Levy! Go on!"

"Y-yeah, thanks for the compliment. But… you will be able to stop Laxus, right?" At first, Kurito wanted to give the girl a true answer. But if she decided to try her best, Kurito would do the same.

"You bet I can." And with that, Levy was off. For some odd reason, Gajeel decided to watch her. In less than a minute, Levy was surrounded by a horde of books, and she gave her best to solve the puzzle of this magic. As Kurito went back inside to the front entrance, she looked all around the building. Levy reading, Natsu unconscious, Makarov and Bisca in beds, in such short time, things went really bad. The only thing that could be done now was… wait. Kurito wasn't the kind of guy to always fight for fun, but he couldn't wait to get his hands on Laxus. Suddenly, Kurito noticed something.

"Lucy won?" Kurito was quite surprised, she never took the girl weak, but considering Gray couldn't beat Bixlow, yet Lucy could, was quite an accomplishment.

"Bunny-girl?" Gajeel quickly swooped over next to Kurito, as he was surprised too.

"… But how?" they both asked in unison.

"That's Lucy for you!" Levy grabbed both Kurito and Gajeel's attention.

"She gave her best, and I'm going to do the same too!"

"Just don't over-do it, Levy. My head is starting to hurt from all this writing and reading." Kurito replied back.

"Nah, I pretty much do this everyday."

"Don't you get bored of it?"

"No."

"Okay…" and with that, silence came. Kurito was expecting another long period of waiting, but thankfully, that wasn't going to happen.

"I'm done!" Levy's shout spooked both Kurito and Gajeel.

"Really? So fast?" Kurito was stunned by Levy's achievement. She suddenly grabbed some papers and ran for the front entrance, where the enchantment was located. Well, a part of it.

"You just wait here! It's about time you took part in this fight!" Levy was officially ready to break Fried's seal. And with that, Kurito was ready to fight. It could be seen in his eyes.

"Heck, it's about time." After another minute, the enchantment was broken. But before Kurito would go, he stopped.

"Gajeel, you see any of Laxus' friends, take care of them, alright?"

"Tchh… if I have to." Kurito was ready to take off again, but this time he was stopped.

"Kurito, wait!" After almost falling down on his face, he faced Levy again.

"Now what?"

"Remember that this isn't the only enchantment Fried set up. There's a lot more all around Magnolia. If you get stuck in one of those, I cannot help you. All is lost."

"Great. But thanks." And with that, Kurito was finally off. The first thing he did was use one of the taller buildings to take a look over the town. Despite the town itself being in danger, it didn't look bad. That was until a huge explosion emerged.

"What the hell was that?" that explosion could be seen from miles.

"That certainly isn't Erza. Unless she has some other armor." Kurito's first instinct was to get over there and see what was happening, but his smell told him differently. Despite the town still being quite populated, he could smell Laxus. Not his exact location, but the direction. Before he went off, he looked back at the place of the explosion.

"I hope I won't regret this later." And in a flash, Kurito went off. But he was constantly stopped. One more minute passed, and another explosion blasted off in the air. Kurito looked back, and again, he was caught in a cross-fire. It could be any of his friends that is in danger, but then again, he had to try and stop Laxus, otherwise the entire town of Magnolia could be annihilated. He turned back, and after taking a deep breath, he decided that there was only one objective for himself. Stop Laxus. Despite traveling as fast as he could, he still couldn't get there. He could use wings created from his Force Magic, but he doesn't want to waste his magic. And there was another problem: he didn't know Laxus' exact location. But he could smell him, Kurito knew he was getting close. As he was jumping around town, he finally caught Laxus' scent. The exact location.

"The cathedral." The distance between Kurito and the church was still quite huge, but it was a matter of a few minutes before he could get there. With a huge leap, he crashed right through the cathedral's roof, right in the middle of the building, and as he landed, Kurito left a huge hole below it's feet. Of course, he surprised everyone.

"Kurito! Nice to see you've joined the game!" Kurito then faced Laxus, who wore a smirk on his face. Kurito's eyes widen as he saw Natsu and Gajeel on the ground, heavily injured.

"I swear, you're worse than some people. It's about time you stopped this, Laxus." A vein popped in Kurito's forehead as he activated his Shinigami Eyes. He turned to notice Mystogan looking at him intently.

' _What's up with him? Nevermind that now.'_

"Stop? But this is where the fun starts!" Laxus laughed as he released his powerful lightning aura. There was no denying it, Laxus wouldn't give up. His crazy attitude proved this.

"I mean, look! The three strongest members are here! But you're the only one I can talk with, Kurito! You understand me! Join me, and Fairy Tail will be the strongest guild in Magnolia!" Laxus was partially right. Over the years Kurito was a part of Fairy Tail, they took him under his wing. Teached him how to fight, how to be stronger. And for that, Kurito loved them. He respected Laxus as a friend, and fellow guild member, but his attitude and recent change shocked Kurito.

"What happened to you Laxus? You weren't like that before. I can't believe you've stomped so low."

Laxus grinned maniacally. "So low? Ha! I'm trying to drag you guys from the mud hole the old man made." He unleashed his lightning aura once more. "But if you insist on standing in my way, then in the mud you shall drown!"

"Maybe if you took a different approach, then I would actually help you. But you've taken Magnolia as hostage, and that is unforgivable. You've crossed the line." For a second, Laxus seemed disappointed. But just as he was about to respond back to Kurito, all of a sudden, Erza appeared.

"Natsu! Kurito!"

"Erza?"

 _'This doesn't get any better.'_ Kurito thought to himself. Sadly, during all this confusion, Laxus was the only one who noticed everyone was open for an attack.

"Mystogan?" Even for Erza, it was rare for her to see Mystogan without being put to sleep.

"Who is that guy…?" Same goes for Natsu, who stood up along with Gajeel. Their bodies felt weak and numb because of Laxus's merciless attacks. Suddenly, a laugh from Laxus stopped all the questioning.

"You're wide open!" and with that, Laxus launched lightning towards Mystogan, and the attack landed right onto Mystogan's face, tearing his mask off. After a few seconds of silence and frozen stares, Mystogan revealed himself… and he looked exactly like someone Kurito sworn he once saw.

"Jellal… you're… alive?" Everyone was shocked, but Erza was the most surprised out of all of them. A few tears from Erza, while Kurito and Natsu were confused.

"Oh! A familiar face?" Laxus was enjoying the show, to say the least.

"I don't get it! Who is he!?" Natsu showed signs of frustration. Of course, Mystogan had to explain himself.

"Out of all the people, Erza… I wished at least you didn't see my face. I'm not Jellal, but I know him." And the level of confusion was rising even more.

"Huh?" was the only word Erza could say.

"I'm sorry but I have to leave. I leave the rest of this situation in your hands… Kurito." Mystogan faced Kurito as he said these words. Kurito's eyes told him that without doubt, the man who just disappeared in front of him was familiar, but those words sounded like they were coming from a different man, away from the familiarity he felt.

"Erza, take Natsu and Gajeel and gather as much as many as you can of our memebrs to destroy the Thunder Palace." Kurito said, his voice filled with rage at Laxus.

Erza nodded, taken back a little by Kurito's tone of voice. She helped Gajeel and Natsu out of the guild.

Kurito turned to glare at Laxus. "You even don't have hesitation about attacking your comrades." Kurito spat in in rage. Laxus's actions angered and disgusted him to no end.

"Any who stand in my way will be annihilated!" Laxus roared. "Especially those weaklings."

"This is where it ends, Laxus!" Kurito exclaimed, unleashing his blue, Force Dragon Slayer aura.

OUTSIDE THE CATHEDRAL:

"Is...is that Kurito?" Gajeel said, taken back by the amount of power released. He flexed his muscles, trying to rid himself of the numbness caused because of Laxus's attacks.

"Yeah. He's always like that when he's mad." Natsu grinned, proud of his brother's power. "He's gonna take care of Laxus in no time."

"Although...I WANTED TO FIGHT LAXUS IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Natsu whined, jumping up and down.

 _'That bastard... he was shocked to death by Laxus only seconds ago.' Gajeel sweatdropped._

"Stop this useless whining, Natsu! We are on a mission to make sure everyone will be safe!" Erza shouted.

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

Erza looked forward, hiding her worried face from her comrades.

 _'All my life, I thought I was carrying my own burden, but when I met you, I learned that everyone are fighting there own battles. I wanted to make up for everything you deserved. That's why, Kurito...'_

"Let's go, you two!" Erza exclaimed, requipping to her Heaven's Wheel armor.

"I'm all fired up!"

"Geehee."

 _'Make sure to protect our home, so that you can always come back to me!'_


	10. The Neverending Rivalry! Kurito vs Laxus

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! I wanted to take this chance to thank you for your support in the previous chapter. I hope I get it in this one.**

 **A quick warning: The next chapters might have lemons in them so stay tuned ;)**

* * *

The two dragon slayers exchanged a flurry of punches. Kurito thought that it will be wise not to waste any magic in the beginning. Laxus was no easy cake.

But deep inside, he knew that he wished for it; to fight Laxus unabated without worrying about what would or might happen around them, but he convinced himself to focus on the goal: Defeating his rival and saving the town.

Their fist clashed one last time before they jumped back, both mages grinning.

"You really still have the same speed and power." Laxus laughed, partially amazed. He never took his rivel for a weekling, but he couldn't stop the growing desire to crush him. "I was afraid that you might have lost your touch."

Kurito grinned, his excitment at fighting his rival unabated getting the best of him. "Well, it is to be excepted. You need a new scar or two to regain your senses."

"My senses? What happened to yours?" Laxus grinned maliciously. Kurito could feel his gut twisting at his grin.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, acting ignorance, arent we? Well, it's up to you Kurito, or should I say.."

"Manslayer Kurito!"

"Force Dragon's Roar!" Kurito bellowed a powerful, blue, tornado-like blast at Laxus. The blast took him by surprise as at hit him, resulting a big explosion that shook the cathedral.

"When and how!?" Kurito spat ragefully.

As the smoke cleared, Laxus stood up, his clothes tattered and an aura of electricity surrounding him. "Well, you had your turn, now it's my turn to act stupid. No, I must tell you what's on mind.." Laxus said as he smirked at Kurito. "I'm not under any obligation to tell you. Well, consider yourself lucky, I haven't told anyone...yet."

Kurito's Shinigami eyes brightened with rage. "You bastard! You're trying to force my hand!"

"Hahahahahaha! Now we can have some bonding!" Laxus laughed maniacally. He was excited to fight his rival and crush him, but if he can get through it and take the guild without a fight, then it will be so much easier.

"Hmph, I already said it once, the only way for you to become the master is to do it over my body!" Kurito exclaimed dashing at Laxus.

Laxus grinned. _That's why... "_ You're making it easier!"

A blue magic sphere coverd Kurito's fist. "Force Dragon's..."

Laxus engulfed his fist in lightning. "Lightning Dragon's.."

"FIST!" Their fists collided, causing a powerful shockwave that catched the attention of their fellow guildmates.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Natsu exclaimed as he felt the magical powers coming from the guild.

"Just as I thought, those two are monsters." Gajeel said in amazement. "Salamander, I know what's on your mind. Don't do anything stupid. We have to help Erza with the Thunder Palace and take care of the wounded. Even if you go, you can't do shit." Gajeel said as a matter of facts.

Natsu groaned and glared at his companion. Part of him depised what Gajeel just said and the other part begrudgingly agreed. Feeling torn, Natsu looked down. "What... should I do?"

Gajeel sighed, feeling sympathy towards the pink-haired dragon slayer. "Listen, oven head, if you want to do something than do it, but that's until you think of the consequnences. Do you think that your decision will benefit your guild and Kurito?

Natsu looked at the cathedral, feeling more magical shockwaves. "All my life, I looked up to Brother. To me, he was the embodiment of awesomeness. He's strong and kind, but I, more than anyone else, know what he's hiding behind all of that. When he surpass his past and wins, I want to be there for him, just like how he was there for me when I was distraught about Igneel."

Gajeel's eyes widen in surprise. Natsu's words about Kurito felt deep. He recently realized the bond between the two as the Fire Dragon Slayer's words left an impact on him.

"Well, I don't think Erza needs us anyway." Gajeel said with a grin as Natsu looked at him with surprise.

"Did you really think that all this power we felt was because of them?" Gajeel said, pointing at the cathedral.

"You mean Erza is..."

Gajeel nodded. "She's trying to destroy the Thunder Palace by herself so that she can take all the damage for everyone."

"But that's-"

"Dangerous? It didn't feel like it when you were about to run to the cathedral." Gajeel deadpanned, silencing Natsu. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Well, if you can't stop them then join them. Geehee."

"Just a little more..." Erza groaned tiredly as she summoned more swords. She felt fatigued and pressured by the magical power she was releasing.

"No, I must not disappoint everyone!" She exclaimed as her guildmates images flashed through her mind.

Especially him."

 _I'll be counting on you, Scarlet!_

 _"Everyone, can you hear me!"_ The familiar voice of Gray Fullbuster pulled Erza back from her thoughts.

"Is this Gray? Is he using Warren's telepathy?" Everyone, including Erza thought.

 _"There is no time so I'll say this quickly. Destroy the Thunder Palace's Lacrimas! Right now, Kurito is fighting Laxus in the cathedral, but the threat lies within the Palace! It can wipe the entire town from existence! So please do it! It will sting a bit, but we all know why are we doing it!"_

"Damn it, Gray! I already told everyone to leave it to me!" Erza grumbled in displeasure.

 _"I can hear you, Erza! You know as much as I that you can't take down the entire thing by yourself! This is our home too, we'll fight for it!"_ Gray's words caused everyone to smile and stand up for the challenge.

Erza groaned, knowing that the Ice Mage's words were true. "Damn you idiots. Stop worrying me already."

"But I guess... he would do it too if he was with us." She exclaimed with a small smile as she thought about Kurito.

 _Please stay safe, Kurito._

* * *

"Force Dragon's Roar!" Kurito breathed. Laxus managed to dodge the attack at the last minute before dashing at Kurito, his fist clad in lightning. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Kurito, off guard, crossed his arms in front of his face as Laxus's fist connected to his arms, pushing him a few meters back.

Kurito gritted his teeth as he felt his arms going numb after Laxus's attack. His arms fell to his sides as he glared at the grinning Laxus.

"Well, well, look at the poor Arouna, lost and forgotten." Laxus laughed, taunting his opponent.

 _This is bad. I can't feel my arms at all!_ Kurito thought in despair. _There is only one thing left to do!_

"Brother!" Kurito's eyes widened as he turned to look at the familiar face of his sworn brother, Natsu, with Gajeel tailing behind him.

"Natsu! What the hell are you doing here!? I thought I told you to leave this to me!" Kurito shouted in frustration.

"I know! Erza and the others are have destroyed the Thunder Palace! I don't want to stand and do nothing! If you win, I want to be there to see it, and if you lose, I want to to be there to help you get back up!" Natsi said passionately, causing Kurito to be taken back.

"You're open!" Laxus laughed as he raised his shot a big lightning sphere at Kurito, who didn't see the attack coming.

"Hahahaha! What do you think about it, Kurito? It doesn't matter though, you're not here anymore!" Laxus laughed as the smoke cleared, showing everybody that Kurito was nowhere to be seen.

"N-No way...Brother is..."

"Yes, Natsu, he has evaporated! Thinking about it, you chumps infuriated me by destroying my-"

"Shinigami Burst X2! Force Dragon's Iron Fist!" Taking everyone by surprise, Kurito appeared beside a shocked Laxus, delivering a punch to his side sending him flying back and crashing into the wall.

"After saying all of that..." Kurito said with a grin. Natsu's eyes widen as he notice a familiar, flame-like aura surronding Kurito.

Brother! That spell..."

"Is dangerous? Well, I'd like to hear your ingenious ideas later." Kurito said sarcastically before turning to smirk at Laxus.

Laxus stood up groggily, a trail of blood visible from his lips and down to his chin. He gritted his teeth and glared hatefully at Kurito while holding his pained gut. "You little shit!"

"Force Dragon's Sword Horn!" Kurito surrounded his body in a blue aura, covering The Shinigami Burst's aura and dashed at Laxus in an incredible speed, not giving the latter any time to regain his breath, before headbutting him, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall once more.

"This guy is strong as hell!" Gajeel exclaimed in both shock and amazement, not failing to notice the worried look on Natsu's face.

Noticing the confused look of his fellow Dragon Slayer, Natsu explained, "The Shinigami Burst is a effective spell that raises the users power at everything; magic, raw power, and speed, but it leaves a heavy toll on the users body."

Gajeel's brows furrowed in realization. "So that means that Kurito is taking a bet."

Laxus stood up slowly, panting from the pain he felt in his abodmen. Blood coming out of his nose and trailing don his chin. "Oh, look at the poor Dreyar, lost and forgotten." Kurito taunted, standing in front of the injured Lightning Dragon.

A vain popped in Laxus's forehead. "Lightning Dragon's Fang!" Laxus cloaked his finger tips in lightningand slashed at Kurito, who easily dodged, thanks to the Shinigami Burst.

Kurito kneed Laxus in the gut before uppercutting him. "Force Dragon's Claw!" Kurito cloaked his right leg with blue magic before kicking Laxus in the face, sending him flying up.

"He's overpowering Laxus!" Natsu exclaimed with a hopeful smile.

"Geehee, I knew that Kurito was a guy with some serious shit!"

"It's over Laxus! Shinigami Burst X3!" Kurito powered up, increasing the size of the flame-like aura around him.

"Brother! This is too dangerous!" Natsu shouted, feeling the entire cathedral shaking under them.

"This crazy bastard." Gajeel muttered, covering his eyes from the blinding light caused by Kurito's spell.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts: Big Bang..." Kurito extended, charging a small blue sphere, the sphere kept getting bigger and bigger.

"Attack!" The moment Laxus's body touched the floor, Kurito fired the sphere. When it connected, it exploded, blinding Natsu and Gajeel.

 _"Scarlet.."_

 _"Scarlet..."_

 _'What is this voice?'_ Erza asked herself. Right now, all that she can see is darkness, and that scared her. All her life, she had been shrouded in darkness, even behind the strong metallic layers, she still felt it.

" _Erza... you okay?"_ That voice... it's the voice of the first human being that worried about her. Everyone cared about her, but they always trusted her power, except him, and that frustrated her.

" _Don't get me wrong, Erza, I know you're strong, but I can't lose someone... close to me anymore.."_ The first time she heard these words, it touched her. She leaned on him, trusted him, and believed in him.

' _Even if the world detest me, Kurito will always want me...'\_

"SCARLET!" At the shout, Erza opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She caught a glimpse of a white hair and a frown face.

"D..Dammit...you idiot...let me sleep.."

"Sorry, hun, but your hero is not here." The familiar gruff voice of Porlyusica was heard.

Erza's eyes opened wide as she sat up with flushed cheeks. _Did she hear me?_

"Don't worry, we'll pretend we didn't hear." The sly voice of Mirajane came in, causing the red head to look at her.

"M-Mira, y-you're okay?" Erza stuttered, trying to counsel her embarrassment and change the subject. She cursed how nervous her voice came out.

Mira's sly smile fell, replaced by a worried look. Erza felt confused by the change. She turned to Porlyusica, who appeared to give her body an examining look. "Do you remember what happened?" Porlyusica asked the red head, wanting to make sure that Erza's conscious was still intact after the damage she suffered from the Thunder Palace's lacrimas.

"Yeah, me and the others have attacked the Thunder Palace and managed to destroy it." Erza explained, not missing the conflicted look on Mira's face. Porlyusica nodded reassuringly. "It appears you're okay. Really what the hell you idiots were thinking by attacking that thing? Consider yourself lucky." Porlyusica rubbed her forehead in annoyance. "I never thought that Laxus brat would dare do something like that in a time like this."

Suddenly, Erza remembered a very important thing. "What happened to Master? Is he okay?" Ezra bombarded Porlyuscia with her questions in both worry and fear. Porlyusica looked away, making Erza's stomach twist.

"I can't say anything. That idiot told me to go check on his brats. Just in case, I left Levy with him. Don't worry. she's adequate enough." Porlyusica reassured, even though her eyes betrayed her words; she was worried about Makarov more than anyone.

"What happened to the others?"

"We checked on everyone. They're fine, but still unconscious due to the lacrimas." Mirajane explained. "You're the first one who woke up til now."

"We still have one more place to check." Porlyusica said, and judging by he powerful magical powers coming from the cathedral, they knew what she was talking about.

Erza quickly stood up. "Kurito!"

"Laxus..." Mirajane muttered under her breath, holding her flowers bracelet to her heart.

As the trio reached the cathedral, a big explosion shook the place. When the entered the saw Natsu and Gajeel standing at the door with looks of amazement.

"You guys!" Erza called, grabbing the attention of the Dragon Slayers.

"Erza, Mirajane, a-and the hag?" Natsu said, confused at the healer's presence, since it was common knowledge that she never left her house.

A vain popped in Porlyusica's forehead. "I have a name, brat!"

"What the hell is happening?" Erza said in a demanding tone.

As the dust inside the guild cleared, everyone could see the back of Kurito, who turned to give Erza a toothy grin. "I told to leave it to me, Scarlet."

Erza smiled in relief and Porlyusica sighed while Mirajane had a conflicted expression. "You idiot."

Suddenly, a powerful presence caused Kurito to turn back in shock. As the rest of the dust cleared, everyone could see Laxus, standing unscathed, his clothes tattered. Electricity moved around his body as he grinned. "And you dare call yourself a Dragon Slayer?"

"I-Impossible!"

"How is he still standing!?" Both Gajeel and Natsu exclaimed in shock while the female trio stood back, baffled.

"L-Laxus...please!" Mirajane pleaded in the verge of tears.

"You insects think that by destroying the Thunder Palace, you can stop me!?" Laxus exclaimed angrily, releasing a powerful lightning aura that took everyone back. "I WILL TURN YOU ALL TO DUST! STARTING BY YOU, KURITOOOO!" He shouted madly. "DRAGON FORCE!" His muscles started to grow, causing his shirt to be ripped. His canines grow longer and sharper while his arms and were covered in a scale like patterns. "RELEASE!" His lightning aura grew larger and more intimidating.

"THE FUCK!"

"HE IS A DRAGON SLAYER TOO!"

"LAXUS! STOP THIS! YOU CAN'T CONTROL THIS POWER!" Porlyusica shouted, wanting the Dragon Slayer to stop.

Kurito was taken back by Laxus's power. He used telekinesis to get his sword and unsheathed it. Kurito was slightly shaking and refused the idea of running away when it popped up in his head. Sweat ran down his face as held his sword.

"Congrats, Kurito! You're the first one to dare to challenge after transforming!" Laxus laughed madly. "Now, let me return you the favor!"

"Shiniga-" Kurito didn't have the chance to use his spell as Laxus's fist appeared in front him.

 _He's fast!_

"Lightning Dragon's Iron fist!" His fist connected to Kurito's face, creating a bloody bruise and sending him flying up.

Laxus turned his body to lightning and flew up, appearing in front of shocked and injured Kurito. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" Laxus joined his hands and imbued them with a large amount of lightning. He then striked Kurito down, sending him crashing, and causing a crater.

"X5!" Kurito shouted as the flame-like aura covered him once more. He jumped, dodging Laxus's next attack. Laxus dashed at Kurito, his body clad in lightning. Kurito managed to block Laxus's fist with his sword.

 _That idiot! The spell will take a toll on his body!_ Both Erza and Porlyusica thought in unison.

Laxus grinned as he spinned constantly, pushing Kurito back against the cathedral's wall. Kurito dashed at Laxus, cladding his sword with his Force Magic. He slashed at Laxus, who dodged swiftly. "Lightning Dragon's Fang!" Laxus, still clad in lightning, impaled Kurito with his fang.

"KURITOOO!" Mirajane and Erza shouted in fear and worry.

"BROTHER!"

Kurito, coughed blood, his eyes wide. _I didn't even see him!_

"Ngh!" He placed his palm against Laxus's face, trying to push him back. Laxus smiled maliciously. "I'll teach you what it means to lay your hands on me." Laxus pushed his fangs deeper, causing a lightning stream to come out of Kurito's back. Kurito's Shinigami Burst aura died down as he fell down, blood bursting from a wound on his belly.

Laxus jumped back. "You're finished! Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus bellowed a lightning blast and its light was the last thing Kurito saw before it exploded.

When the dust cleared, it showed Kurito on the floor, unconscious.

"No way... Brother lost!?" Natsu muttered in shock and despair.

"IS THERE A WAY TO STOP HIM!?" Gajeel exclaimed, sweat rolling down his face in fear.

"It's about time that brat releases his full potential." Porlyusica said calmly, causing everyone around her to look at her in confusion.

Suddenly, Kurito jumped up, making Laxus scowl at him. "A word of warning, acting recklessly will bring you a world of hell." Laxus said, dissatisfied with his rival's stubbornness.

"Thanks for the meal. It seems I must acknowledge something..." Kurito said, wiping the blood from his lips and chin. "You're indeed strong."

"Well, that's if you're not counting me." Kurito said with a smirk, as he released a blue lightning aura. "Lightning-Force Dragon Mode!" Kurito exclaimed, releasing a powerful lightning shockwave. "Shinigami Burst X5!" The spell's red aura covered Kurito's dual mode aura as the muscle mass around his body grew lsightly.

He smirked triumphantly at the shocked Laxus. "Now then, shall we continue?"

"Natsu! Kurito in that state is really dangerous! HE MIGHT ACTUALLY KILL THAT BASTARD!" Gajeel exclaimed in both shock and amazement, admiring Kurito's new transformation.

"In a matter of numbers, Kurito's power level is 25,000!" Porlyusica said, shocking the mages even more.

"What's wrong, Laxus? Did the cat get your tongue?" Kurito taunted with a smirk a he stood in front of a shocked Laxus, who was perplexed by his rival's sudden transformation. "Are you shocked by this transformation so much you can't speak?" Kurito taunted again.

"STOP IT, KURITO!" Mirajane shouted, trying to stop Kurito, but it was too late.

Kurito charged his sword with magical energy before slashing at Laxus. "Force Dragon's Slash!" The attack hit home, causing it's light to blind the guild. Mirajane and Erza closed their eyes, not wanting to see the expected grotesque result of Kurito's attack.

Shockingly, through the debris and light, Laxus's lightning clad fist came out, connecting to Kurito's gut, making the latter cough blood.

Gajeel and Porlyusica stared in shock and fear while Natsu gritted his teeth in despair. Kurito fell on his knees, more blood coming out from his nose. _I-Impossible...that was my strongest attack!_

Laxus placed his foot on Kurito's head, smirking down at him. "It seems the only thing that changed about you is your injures." Laxus taunted his rival for being so week.

"He's simply toying with Kurito who should be getting stronger thanks to that spell...I can't believe it!" Erza muttered in disbelief.

"This is the known power of Dragon Force, the strongest form a Dragon Slayer can attain. In this form, Lightning Dragons are known as the Heavenly Ones." Porlyusica explained, sweating from the dreadful situation.

"Well, you really disappointed me, Kurito." Laxus said pushing down Kurito's head on floor. "You, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mystogan, The old man, and the weaklings in the guild..." He kicked Kurito and unleashed a powerful magical light. "I WILL ANNIHILATE ALL OF YOU!" He roared, as he cupped his hands, creating a small, bright light that kept getting bigger.

"Th-That's..." Erza found herself speechless in dread. "That spell..."

"The spell that destroys anything and anyone that the caster views as an enemy!" Gajeel muttered in disbelief.

"Fairy Law!" Natsu exclaimed in shock.

"S...Stop...Th-This.." Kurito stammered, his mouth full of blood and his body getting weaker.

"How could you..?" Porlyusica muttered, shocked.

"LAXUS!" Came Mirajane's booming voice, laced with tears. She stepped forward, shocking everyone. "LAXUS STOP THIS, PLEASE!"

Ignoring her pleas, Laxus kept roaring, charging his attack. Mirajane felt broken. The man she admired, the man she looked up too...the man she loved...stomping so low...

"LAXUS, MASTER IS ON THE BRINK OF DEATH!" Mirajane exclaimed, shocking everyone, including Laxus, and making Porlyusica curse under her breath. The healer wanted to hide that fact per Makarov's request, but she couldn't deny that Mirajane used it right. Telling everyone that the Master was dying, despite how saddening and painful it was, would help stop this pointless fight.

"No...way.." Erza muttered, falling to her knees, tears forming in her eyes.

"Master...is dying..?" Natsu said in disbelief, looking down.

Kurito felt time stopping around him at the announcement. The man that took him in, raised him, teached him how magic can be beautiful, is dying. He was speechless as he felt his heart drop at the news. His bruises, wounds, and fatigued bones were all nothing to him now...

 _Flashback:_

 _In one of the old Fantasia Parades, after Fairy Tail's show, Kurito sat beside Makarov, who was drinking and laughing at Gray and Natsu fighting as usual. Kurito stared at Erza, who was sitting far away with the other girls, and happened to be laughing at something Mirajane said._

 _His eyes drifted to Laxus, who was sitting at the corner of the guild with his Raijinshuu, eyeing the guild in disdain._

 _A question rose to the Arouna's mind...What makes a good mage?_

 _"Old man...what makes a good mage?" Kurito turned and asked Makarov, who was blushing from alcohol. "Huh? Let's see...magic is complex, you can't reach the top just like that, but I'd see..." He grinned down at Kurito, who looked back at him in curiosity. "Heart is what makes a good mage. The ability to understand others and create bonds through magic is what makes a good mage."_

 _"Heart...?" Kurito said in though, looking at his palm..._

 _Heart to understand, to love, and to help. These things can't be earned through power alone. Being alone means that you cannot be the best, you can be the strongest, but not the best._

000000

"That's good." Laxus said, a twisted smile on his face. The satisfied look on his face made Kurito and the others sick. "That means that my chance at becoming the master have become high again!"

"This...can't...be.." Mirajane fell to her knees. What drowned her in despair was the fact that the man she loved as gone. Gone was the Laxus she loved. Her heart broke as more tears fell as she felt her stomach drop. When she looked at Laxus's laughing eyes...they didn't laugh...there was nothing.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" Natsu shouted in rage.

"You! You're a disgrace to this guild!" Porlyusica said in disgust, tears running down her cheeks.

"You...son...of...a.." Kurito said weekly, his scorn for Laxus growing.

"HAHAHHAHAHA! DISAPPEAR FAIRY TAIL! I WILL REBUILD IT FROM THE SCRATCH! EVERYONE WILL COWERBEFORE MY ULTIMATE GUILD!"

"FAIRY LAW...IS INVOKED!"

Laxus unleashed the spell. A blinding light completely covered the church, and the rest of the city. Evryone outside could feel the sheer power of the spell. As the light slowly disappeared, Laxus was quite exhausted. He was heavily breathing, and he could barely stand on his feet.

"I..I've..surpassed you...Gramps." Laxus muttered with a victorious smirk.

Sounds of coughs pulled Laxus from his trance. When the dust cleared, he saw everyone, including Kurito, coughing.

"N..No! It's not possible!" He said, his eyes wide in shock. "WHY!? WHY ARE THEY NOT DEAD!?"

Laxus's body trembled with rage as he noticed everyone ignoring checking up on each other, except for Kurito who was slowly trying to stand.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!? HOW CAN ANYONE SURVIVE AN ATTACK WITH THAT POWER!?"

"Everyone, the guild members, the townspeople, they're all safe." A voice caught everyone's attention. They turned to find Freed, his cloths tattered and holding his injured shoulder, standing at the door.

"BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! MY FAIRY LAW WAS PERFECT!"

"It's your heart, Laxus." Laxus was taken back with Freed's answer. "Your magical power wasn't the only thing you inherited. You inherited his heart, a heart that cares for its comrades." Freed said with smile. "Fairy Law only damages those who the caster sees as enemies...you understand what I'm saying, Laxus?"

"His magic penetrated his heart..." Mira muttered in shock and surprisingly...relief.

"You can't lie to your magic, Laxus." Freed smiled at his friend.

Laxus was trembling in rage and shock, he tightened his fist and looked down. "NO! ANY WHO STAND IN MY WAY ARE MY ENEMIES!"

"Just give up and go see the master."

"I AM MYSELF! I AM LAXUUUUS I'M NOT HIS GRANDSON!" Laxus roared, unleashing his magic aura.

Everyone looked at Laxus helplessly, except for Mira, who looked at him with sad and pitiful eyes.

"We know that..." Kurito's voice made everyone look at him. He looked up at Laxus with a serious expression. "When people know that someone is so great, they try to take pride in it, they try to create their names to make that person proud. You're not special because you're his grandson, you're special because he cared for you more than anyone else."

"DON'T TAKE THE WRONG ROAD BECAUSE OF YOUR BLOOD, ASSHOLE! THE GUILD IS ALL WE NEEDED! IT'S OUR FAMILY!" Kurito roared, making Laxus grit his teeth. "What do you understand, Kurito?"

"I understand, but do I have to too be your friend?" Kurito said as he activated his Lightning-Force Dragon Slayer Mode and the Shinigami Burst. He held his sword and dashed at Laxus. "WE REACH OUR HEARTS TO EACH OTHER AND GET PAST THAT, LAXUS!"

"SHUT UP, KURITO!" Laxus raised his Lightning fist. Kurito's sword clashed with Laxus's lightning fists. Their flurry of slashes and fists could be hardly seen as it clashed. Kurito brought his blade down at Laxus, but the latter grabbed it with his bare hand, shocking Kurito.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts: Big Bang Attack!" Kurito fired the sphere at Laxus. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus bellowed, countering Kurio's sphere and sending it flying up to the roof, exploding and covering the guild with dust. Amidst the dust, Kurito looked around him warily, on his guard. Suddenly, a lightning bolt came straight at him, but he blocked it in time with his sword. Laxus used his lightning body to dash at Kurito and knee his hand, bruising it and causing the sword to fall. He catched the sword in time and slashed at Kurito, causing another wound.

Shockingly, Laxus felt that his hand is empty. He turned to look at Kurito who smirked down at him. The sword was stuck in his side. He pulled the sword and simply throw it away before punching Laxus in the face, causing droplets of blood to come out. "Force Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Laxus punched him back with his lightning fist. It was so strong it sent flying around the cathedral and hitting every wall like a rubber ball before finally crashing on the ground and creating a carter. Laxus stood in front of a beaten up Kurito. Kurito had slash wound on his side and bloody bruises on both sides on his face as he panted. He was struggling to keep his eyes open.

Laxus spat blood on the ground, a scowl on his face. "You're 100 years to young to be lecturing. But it was fun. Killing you would be a waste."

"Dammit!" Natsu cursed in despair, feeling hopeless at seeing his brother getting beaten.

"If Kurito can't stop him, than how can we stop him!?" Gajeel asked desperately.

Kurito stood up groggily, coughing blood and looking at Laxus with confidence, a confidence that angered the Lightning Dragon Slayer and made Erza feel dread. He will never give up! Even if he has his own goals, he wants to payback everyone for everything they've done for him, especially Laxus.

"I...can't...give in..." He spat blood on the ground trying to take a fighting stance. "If I do, I will never be able to see _him."_ He said with a serious look, his Shinigami Eyes activated at remembering Zeref.

"You poor fool. I'm gonna burn you so much no one will never recognize you!" Laxus roared angrily, unleashing his lightning aura and using his magic to create a halberd. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" He bellowed before throwing the halberd at Kurito, ignoring the shouting pleas of Freed and Mirajane.

"KURRIIITOO!" Erza cried out tearfully. Her fear causing her to close her eyes. She didn't want to see it; to see Kurito burning and screaming in agony. She didn't want to see it happen again; to see someone precious to her taken away again. She loved him, but when did fate give her the things she wanted and yearned for?

Confidently, Kurito cupped his hand back, activating the Shinigami Burst and charging a blue sphere before thrusting his palms forward, firing it. "Big Bang Attack!"

The two attacks collided, sending sparks of lightning and blue light everywhere. Laxus roared and launched more magic towards the halberd, wanting to overwhelm Kurito. Kurito did the same, launching a beam of blue light from his palm into the struggle. The two attacks were matched, leaving everyone watching with abated breath, worried for Kurito's safety.

Then it happened, Laxus's attack started to push Kurito's, making the Force Dragon Slayer grit his teeth. Everyone's looks turned from worry to despair, pleading Laxus to stop, but no avail.

 _' **You're weak. Why are you weak?'**_ A familiar sinister voice taunted Kurito making his eyes wide.

' _I-I can't lose! I have to live and kill him! I have to-'_

 _'Kurito?'_ A beautiful, familiar voice broke his chain of thoughts. It was the voice of Erza Scarlet. Despite Laxus's attack pushing even more, getting closer to him, he could see the red-haired beauty smiling at him from his conscious. _'I'll be counting on you, okay?"_

Kurito chuckled weekly, feeling his hand going numb from all the magic he was releasing to charge his attack. "It looks like, I lost my goal long time ago." He whispered, feeling his confidence building up, an idea popping in his mind. "Take responsibility, Scarlet."

The Shinigami Burst's aura got bigger, illuminating the cathedral. Porlyusica's eyes widen. "NO!" She cried out to Kurito, angered at his stupidity. "DON'T DO IT, YOU MORON!"

"Shinigami.." Kurito began chanting, Erza and Natsu's eyes widening in realization. "BROTHER, DON'T! YOU'LL DIE!" Natsu cried in desperation, fearing for his brother's safety. His heart dropping upon realizing what Kurito was about to do.

"KURITO, NO!" Erza cried out.

"Burst..."

"STOP IT BEFORE YOU DIE!" Erza shouted, her voice laced with tears as she felt her heart hammering in fear.

'Times.." Kurtio continued, Laxus's attack approaching him fast and pushing back his Big Bang Attack.

IT'S OVER, KURITO! I'VE PUT ALL MY STRENGTH IN THIS ATTACK INT THIS! DISAPPEAR ALON-"

"6!" Kurito exclaimed, powering up his sphere. Kurito eyes widened when he felt it, and hope surged within him. "I've got him!" He yelled. From a combination of extended fighting, the use of the thunder palace and Fairy law, Laxus's magical power was near the point of depletion, giving Kurito the chance he needed to end the fight. His sphere pushed Laxus's halberd in a high speed, making Laxus's eyes widen in both shock and desperation. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, LAXUS! I'D RATHER BE WEAK AND HAVE SOMEONE BESIDE ME ON BEING THE STRONGEST AND BE ALONE!" Kurito roared, giving his attack one final push before it overpowered Laxus's and connected to him, exploding and sending him flying up.

Laxus fell one the ground unconscious, a big bruise on his torso. Kurito grinned weakly before falling on his knees and coughing copious amount of blood. He fell on the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion and the sharp pain he felt on all parts on his body. Using the Shinigami Burst took a toll on his body, forcing him to slowly close his eyes and fall into darkness while hearing someone calling his name.

 _I...did...it..._

"KURITOOO!"

 ** _"You're weak!"_**

* * *

This chapter was edited in July 2, 2018.


	11. Closure

Hello there! How are you guys? Before you panic, I'm Sishui Uchiha, I just changed my pen name. I just wanted to thank you for your support! You give me strength to move the story forward. In this chapter, there will be a deeper dive to Kurito's thoughts and personality. I still want to hear your thoughts in the reviews or PM's.

P.S: This chapter was written in my phone. My laptop's screen is broken, for now. Don't except any more chapter for 2 weeks, or at least until its fixed.

* * *

 **IN A UNIVERSAL VOID :**

Love, hatred, dreams, desires, wars, blood, tragedy, tears, sympathy, wrath, pride, and above all, ambition.

The universal void served as Izura's home and only friend in the meantime. The stars around him served as his company in all his recent musings.

Izurayama is a gigantic Dragon whose bodily majority is covered with light, blue scales. His lower body, specifically his stomach, the inner portions of his long tail, and legs, are darkk blue in color. Izrayama also has noticeable scars on his stomach and neck, with the largest one, which is X-shaped, located around the center of his body. His back has numerous black spikes, reaching down from the back to the end of his tail. Izurayama has a triangular head with horns, a pair of large, round eyes with yellow sclera and a sharp horn pointing upwards just above his nose. Izura also have a very sharp canine teeth, and has claws with long, sharp, blue nails. Izura's large bony wings resemble a bat's, with rippled tips. Additionally, Izurayama has four legs

These emotions were simple in the eyes of dragons. It was things to be felt or caused by humans after certain incidents. To the mighty dragons, humans were nothing. They were simple vile, lowly, and weak. They never posed a threat to any of the other races. Humans were simply pawns in the eyes of greater races.

But it all changed when a single family was born.

The Family of the D.

Izura remembered the times were human elders would murmur about that name. 'The name of the fallen one," they called it. He never understood what it meant or implied. All that he knew is that this name will surly bring a change to history.

 _'Whenever there is a D, a storm is sure to come.'_ He remembered an old colleague ones telling him about it.

And then he met him...

A child who held the principles of innocence and hollowness. When there eyes met, Izura couldn't bring himself to despise or ignore the boy. Despite the fact that the other dragons taunted him for being a one with weak actions. Some even said that he is "Good in not doing anything."

It's not that he couldn't, it's that he didn't want to do anything that wouldn't benefit anyone, including himself. The Dragons Civil War was an accurate example. The Dragons ceased to exist and went to the list of extinct races, and the humans holding their power went mad. Nobody won, everyone lost, even him.

But fortunately enough, he didn't lose his mind.

"You're disturbing my slumber, Universal One." A rough, beastly voice called. Izura turned his attention to the one calling him. A golden dragon with golden eyes with a slit and two horns. The dragon had one eye opened, showing his boredom. He had a scowl on his face, not even bothering to hide his annoyance at Izura for wanting to speak to him. "So what is it? Did that D brat kick the bucket?"

Izura glowered down at him. He didn't like it when someone talked bad about his son. "No, he's waiting for someone who is worth it. Sorry, but you don't fill the bill, Brontes." Izura spat.

The dragon known as Brontes stood up, a dark look on his face. Lightning moved around his body as he gritted his teeth, enraged at Izura's threat. "Did you come here to threat the one and only Lightning Dragon King, Brontes?"

"If you were worth the salt."

Brontes unleashed a large lightning aura that shook the space they were in. "YOU DARE DISTURB MY SLEEP TO THREATEN ME!? YOU ARE A FOOL!"

Izura's eyes narrowed. "Let's save this rivalry talk for later. Right now, there is something that we need to discuss."

Brontes gritted his teeth begrudgingly before calming his aura before it disappeared. "Spit it out before I change my mind."

"It's about our D boys." The moment these words Brontes gave a booming laugh, irritating Izura. The Force Dragon knew that Brontes never cared or liked the name D. To him, it was irrelevant.

"You really have a great talent in making angry and entertained at the same time." Brontes said through chuckles.

"It's serious. If two D's fight, then one of them will undoubtly meet his end." Izura said, trying to make the other dragon grasp the seriousness of the situation.

"If they attack each other with the will to kill." Brontes added. "Which they didn't." Brontes chuckled. "What I find amusing is that you still see this as a matter of importance."

"Of course. Because if your host dies, then your gone. And unfortunately, as much as I want to let you die, you have to live for the plan." Izura said with a shrug.

Brontes groaned. "Save the bull, Izura. That brat didn't want to hurt anyone. It's just the same thing for any human, ambition."

Izura looked away in thought. If one does have a dream, does that mean they have to hurt another to get it?

Humans are really... a fascinating creatures.

"You were waiting for him to unlock the Second Grade so that you can take over him, didn't you?" Izura's tone showed that he already knew what Brontes was planning to do, and despised him for it. Brontes didn't even bother acting surprised, instead, he smiled sinisterly at Izura and walked to him until their snots were touching. "It would happen, sooner or later. I'll kill Acnologia with my own two hands, and if I see you out there, than you're next."

Izura glared at him, unleashing some of his magical aura. "If you do that, you'll be just another Acnologia."

"You want to compare me to that fucker you had beside you your entire life? Well, that's a compliment."

"The same fucker you ran away from with your tail between your legs." Izura smirked inwardly as he saw Brontes's eye twitch. He successfully provoked the Lightning Dragon.

Brontes was about to open his mouth to retort, but was cut off be Izura. "Cut the bull, Brontes. You sealed yourself in a Lacrima knowing fully well that he was going to kill you. Even if ethernano is rich in this time, there is no guarantee that you will survive again." Izura finished with a serious face. All that Brontes could do is growl and greet his teeth.

Izura turned to leave. "Don't forget all of this, just stick to the plan. After all, Oberon won't be happy if he knew you wanted to steal away his descendant."

Brontes glared at the back of the Force Dragon as he walked away. "What does that D even mean?" He asked, demanding for answers.

As a bright light was covering Izura, he had a faraway look on his face. "It's something about The Great Holy War. Don't worry, our brats will know soon enough." Izura said as the light took him away, leaving Brontes to his thoughts.

* * *

Cold. It was the first thing that came to Kurito's mind when he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness around him. He quickly stood up and surveyed his surroundings, looking for a clue or someone to tell him why is he here and what is he doing here. The first thought that came trough his mind is that he's died. His face paled at the thought as he trembled. Did overusing the Shinigami Burst kill him? If so, then shouldn't he be going to hell or heaven?

"Heaven? You really are an optimist." He heard a familiar voice say. His eyes went wide as his Shinigami Eyes activated, his body trembling from rage and releasing a killing intent. He turned to find the very center of his goals and well being, Zeref, smiling at him.

"It's really good to see you, Kurito."

"Force Dragon's Fist!" Kurito jumped at Zeref, his fist raised, ready to strike down Zeref. He smirked as his target didn't put any effort to dodge or run, but as his fist came down, his eyes went wide in shock as his fist and his entire body went through Zeref like he was a ghost. He fell face down on the ground with a groan.

Zeref sighed. "Well, that's a rough way to say hi." He turned to smile mockingly at Kurito, who sat up and growled at him, not hating the idea of trying to hit him again.

"How dare you, fucker!" Kurito growled hatefully. "How dare you stand in front of me!"

Zeref simply smiled. "As I was going to say before you rudely inturrapted me..." His eyes suddenly glowed red. "You fought Laxus, right?"

Kurito's brows furrowed in conefusion and suspiciousness. "It's none of your business."

Zeref smiled in satisfaction. "It's a reasuring feeling that you're still fired up about me. Afterall, even when your so-called friends are around you, you still want the messing Shinigami Eyes and your revenge, don't you?"

Kurito understood what Zeref was talking about. It made him want the ground to split open and swallow him in its darkness. Right now, he asked himself the same question that he was once asked by Hades.

 _Your loved ones, or your goals?_

"Well, let me make it easier for you." Zeref snapped his fingers, causing two groups of people to appear, one behind him and one behind Kurito.

Kurito's eyes widen as he turned and found his kinsmen looking at him, smiles on their faces. Ziroko, Ryouko and Himiko stood in the middle.

"E-Everyone!?" Kurito stammered as he felt his chest tightning and his throat drying. He could feel himself trembling as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Feelings of anguish, longing, and regret swelling inside him.

His teary eyes widen as he felt a familiar presence behind Zeref. His heart beats increased as he turned around around to find Erza and the rest of the guild smiling at him.

"Quiet the show, isn't it?" Zeref said with a mocking smile.

"Tell me, Kurito.." Zeref begun, causing the Arouna to growl and look at his face.

"What are you? What's your goal? And what is Fairy Tail to you?"

Kurito was growing impatient at the game The Black Wizard was playing. He thought about telling him to fuck off and never show his face around again, but despite his disdain for the man, Kurito knew that all of this, somehow, wasn't meaningless.

He sighed bregrudgingly. "My name is Kurito D. Arouna. My goal is restore my clan's tainted name by killing the one who tainted it."

Zeref's smirk made something twist in Kurito's gut. "You still haven't answered all my questions."

What was Fairy Tail to him? In the eyes of his friends, it was their home, their family, something they will fight to death for, even if they had their own goals, they always put their family before it. Each one of them was pretty much like him; no family, tasted hunger and loneliness, and never had some one to care for their well being.

The true question was...Does he see the guild like them?

"Of course not." Zeref's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "You only see them as a step stone, a hindrance. That's why the only people you've pretty much interacted with were Erza and Natsu."

Kurito didn't have a disgusted expression or a rageful one. He had one of a shock, shocked at the realization.

"Power is family. Power is justice. Power is absolute." Zeref mused loudly. "Wasn't this what you learned from all your time with these Dark Guilds?"

"S-Stop.." Kurito stuttered, the weight of reality was heavy on him. Reality was never good to him. Treated like trash, despised like a trash, and hated because of a blood he never chose.

"See this." Zeref said, snapping his fingers. At his snap, a white portal opened beside him. Kurito looked at it. The portal reflected images, images of his days with Grimoire Heart. Inside the portal, he was standing on top of a hill, as the people he slew and burned screamed in agony under him. He wore a white vest and held his sword. His sword had blood on it, same to his face that had splashes of the dark, crimson liquid on it. Behind him, Ultear and the rest and the guild's elites stood, satisfied smirks on their faces.

"You joined because you wanted to find me. You didn't care about the people you killed or the villages you burned. You wanted them to feel what you felt. You wanted tem to pay for looking down on your name and despising you." Zeref explained. "You are nothing more than a manslayer. And when the day will come, you will do the same thing to Fairy Tail."

Kurito fell to his knees. His sins and past weighted him too much. The cries of those he killed causing tears to fall down from his eyes. "S-Stop it! that's not who I am!" He looked up to Zeref with gritted teeth. "It's all your fault!"

For a moment a look of guilt passed Zeref's eyes, then it disappeared, replaced with a thoughtful one. "Perhaps." He hummed.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A familiar, wise voice spoke as figure stood in front of Zeref. Kurito's eyes widen as he realized who it was.

"Z-Ziroko?.."

Ziroko had a hateful gaze on his face, glowering down at Zeref, his Shinigami Eyes activated. "You've gone too far, brat." He spat. "Leave. Kurito isn't yours. He is free!"

Zeref's eyes glowed red. "It's because of the likes of you that he is like this."

"Even so, it's not for you to decide that." Ziroko growled. "He must live and be what the wants to be."

Kurito's head was spinning in confusion and fear. His mentor was standing up for him against his longtime enemy. Kurito feared Ziroko's disappointment and was confused at how he was here.

"I'm not disappointed at you Kurito." Ziroko spoke without turning back, a small sad smile on his face. "I'm disappointed at myself. I've burdened you, child. You did nothing wrong. You're just confused at what you should believe in." He turned to look at Kurito, who was trembling in sorrow as more tears ran down his cheeks. The sight left a bitter taste in Ziroko's mouth and made his heart twist. He knelt down and patted Kurito on the head. "Live on, child. Know that we don't hate you, nor we are disappointed in you. We love you." He said in a soothing voice. His voice warmed Kurito. It was just like his fears and burdens were nothing.

"Live on, my child."

Suddenly, Kurito felt that he was being pushed back by something. He tried to hold his ground, but it was futile against that kind of force. He reached out his hand to Ziroko, who was still smiling at him. "Ziroko! Wait, I-"

"I don't want you to go!" Kurito yelled out, his voice pleading.

* * *

"Kurito!" He heard someone call out his name and turned to find Erza Scarlet, who had a worried and fearful expression on her face. He started to regain his senses, blinking his eyes. He noticed that he was panting and looked around him, finding himself in the infirmary. He saw Master Makarov with a worried look on his face and Porlyusica with a worried one.

"You were...talking in your sleep." Erza started, not sure how to explain the turmoil he seemed to be in while he was unconscious. "You were moving to much and we thought that your injures were hurting you."

"I-Injures?" He stammered in confusion and looked at his body. His chest and torso were bandaged alongside his forehead and right arm. Memories of his fight with Laxus answering the questions he was about to ask. He remembered overusing the Shinigami Burst and the explosion that followed his final clash with Laxus.

"You really pulled a miracle there, brat. Overusing that spell should've killed you. You Dragon Slayers are really something." Porlyusica grunted.

"Wh-Where is Laxus?" Kurito asked, noticing that his rival wasn't in the infirmary.

Makarov looked down, trying to hide the conflict his eyes showed. "He left the infirmary by sunrise." He looked up, hiding the disappointment and pain caused by his grandson with a worried look. 'By the way...a-are you okay?"

"Huh?" Kurito noticed everyone looking at him with saddened looks. He felt some kind of liquid on his face and touched it. His eyes widened as he felt his tears. So many thoughts ran through his head that he didn't notice that Erza's hand was grabbing his gently. She gave a reassuring squeeze and smiled softly. "Are you okay?"

He felt his heart thump and quickly wiped the tears from his face. He squeezed back her hand and smiled, hiding his true emotions. "I'm okay, just a bad dream. What about you? The force of two hundred lightning strikes isn't a piece of cake." Kurito said, changing the subject. Luckily, his words cheered up the scarlet mage.

"As you can see, I'm alright." Erza replied with a cocky smile.

"I'm leaving now. I'm expecting Laxus to arrive any second." Erza said. Kurito was surprised Laxus was coming here, but he could understand why. He tried to get up from bed, but he was stopped by Erza.

"No. You're staying in bed."

"But I don't want to! You except me to stay here for three days!?" He fussed like an angry child, making Erza roll her eyes

"Not my problem." She said strictly before she turned and walked out from the room.

"I think she's right. Even through you won the fight, you ended up in worse shape than Laxus." Makarov stated. "You went far beyond your limits. You could've killed yourself." Makarov gently scolded.

Kurito opened his mouth to reply, but found no words. The room was soon engulfed in uncomfortable silence. Makarov was still standing in front of the door, waiting patiently for Laxus. While Porlyusica sat in her chair in silence, looking at Makarov.

"Kurito...do you remember what you told me about the guild that time?" Makarov broke the silence. "About how you felt about it." He turmed to look at Kurito.

Kurito remembered that time. At that time, he was focused on his goal; his revenge. He just wanted to find and kill Zeref. He felt that the guild was somewhere he could spend time in and meet people that would give him important intel. To him, his guildmates were just...comrades. He rarely spoke to anyone aside from Erza and Natsu.

"I...don't know." Kurito answered, looking down at his lap. "When I fought Laxus, I felt a strange need...the need to protect the guild. When I heard that the guild was attacked, I was distraught that I couldn't make it in time, but now...I think I want to stay and understand it more. I learned that the guild was a home for many and that they reach their hearts to each other to fill in the gap inside of them."

Makarov turned and smiled at Kurito. "After all of that...you still say that you don't know?"

Kurito knew that it was hard to explain his feelings, no matter how contradicting it was. It's just...the gap inside him is still there. He doesn't feel what the others around him are feeling.

"Give it some time, my boy. I'm sure you'll reach the answer soon enough. For now, rest." Makarov said as he turned to face the door, feeling a certain person's presence.

Suddenly, the door opened again. This time, it was Laxus. He closed the door and glanced at Kurito. Their eyes met and in the first time in his life, Kurito didn't know what to say to him. They always threw some insults when their paths crossed, but right now, Kurito didn't feel it, and neither did Laxus. Kurito felt uncomfortable at the emotionless look his rival was giving him, but little did he know, Laxus was also uncomfortable with the current situation.

The three of them heard noises from down stairs. Kurito couldn't stop a small smile. Even when they just had an internal conflict, those idiots don't plan on stopping their antics. It was a reason that made him join Fairy Tail. The cheerful atmosphere was a good change every once in a while, compared to the gloomy one he always put himself into.

"What a noisy rabble.." Laxus commented, looking away. The tension in the room was starting to grow, increasing Kurito's uneasiness.

"Laxus..." Makarov started, a stern look on is face. "Look me in the eyes. Do you understand what a guild is?"

Laxus looked at Makarov's face. "This is a meeting place for comrades-in-arms. It's an agency for missions. And to some people, this is their home. It does not belong to you. This guild was born with the honor and trust of each individual member… and that is how we've formed a bond which you will never find anywhere else. You have put the lives of these people in danger, and that I cannot forgive." Makarov continued.

"I understand." Laxus said, looking down at his hand. "I just...wanted to make the guild stronger."

Makarov sighed. "You are honestly a really clumsy man… life is to be enjoyed, you know? As I watched you grow up, my reason for living wasn't to make you strong, or smart for that matter… all I wanted was to see you be happy…" Laxus looked away, regret on his face. Kurito looked down at his lap, feeling the weight of Makarov's words.

Makarov's body was shaking. The old man could feel his heart sting, but steeled himself. "Laxus… you are hereby excommunicated from this guild…"

Both Kurito and Laxus eyes widen. They didn't except that decision from Makarov. Kurito was about to speak, but bit his lips. Despite the fact that he thought that this kind penalty was too much, he knew the gravity of the situation. Makarov wasn't dealing with Laxus as a family member, he was dealing with him as one of his guild members; his children.

"Right..." Laxus said as turned to face the door. "Thank you for everything, old man."

Makarov turned away, trembling. "J-Just leave.." He choked out, his voice laced with tears.

"And Kurito..." Kurito looked up at Laxus, who was smiling at him.

"Take care of the old man." Laxus said as he opened the door, but just before he was about to close it, he left with a few words. "Keep up the good shape. I'm looking forward for next time."

Kurito grinned as Laxus left the room. "Who do you think I'm?"

Makarov fell to his knees and started crying. Kurito looked at him with a look of sympathy. It pained him to see him like that, but Kurito, more than anybody, knew that people need to release their pent up emotions sometimes.

* * *

There was always a reason to why Mirajane adored the sea. Whenever her mind was clouded and her heart was in a turmoil, she would head out to seek some closure. It was as if the sea was her loyalist, understanding friend. It felt as if it can exactly hear what she cannot express through words.

Ever since the death of her beloved sister, Mira would depended on the sea to take her stress and pain away. Something that she refused to show to others, because even if they cared, they would never understand.

The air was crisp as she walked along the shore. Her footprints trailing behind her with each step she took. The sky was painted in purple and orange hues with smoky white clouds streaking across the expanse. Her shoes hung from her fingers where her hands were clasped behind her back, and her maroon dress flowed along with the breeze that brushed by.

It was strange though. To her, it seemed that the waves that crash on the shore would always wash away the pain that clung to her chest and then she would always go back to the guild, feeling relaxed enough to get through the day.

But today was different.

Her mind was occupied with thoughts of a certain someone. After the recent events that occurred by the hands of a certain lightning dragon slayer, and after hearing about his excommunication, she was unsure of how she can manage to take it all in. Everything that once felt like forever, now felt like a blur. The battles, her awakening…and now…his departure.

And yet, the pain inside her never subdued.

His face fluttered in her mind, making her ponder in thought. She always thought that his arrogance and narcissism was a mask he wore around everyone for the sake of his pride. He was just like Kurito; hiding their fondness for the guild behind calm masks.

Little did she knew, the mask Laxus wore wasn't a mask at all. His anger, resentment, hatred and lust for recognition of his own power had been growing on him throughout the years, leading him to become unstable and heartless in his actions, leading him to only focus on himself in hopes that the light he craved for would shine upon his name.

And now, it was clearer than ever. The little boy that loved and looked up to his grandfather was buried inside of him. The man who cared for his guild was fighting a battle...a battle with himself.

It was such an irony. Everyone thought that he hated the guild, but he was so proud of it that he will not allow anyone to badmouth it.

The guild was a home for its members...he was just turning a blind eye to that fact.

Despite everything that Laxus did, Mirajane could not bring herself to hate him, but that did not dispel the disappointment she felt over his actions and the way he treated her.

She then inhaled the fresh air that engulfed her surroundings, and released it in a soft sigh.

He's probably gone by now. She didn't even get to see him, or talk to him, or just... something. The last time she'd seen him was at the guild when he was searching for the Master. Could it be that even up till now, he was still pushing her away? She didn't know. Her chest felt hollow because nothing feels the same at all. The guild wouldn't feel like the guild without Laxus.

 _Is this it?_ She thought with a heavy heart. She couldn't help but wonder...was this truly it? He will be gone and everything just falls back into place without his presence? It was strange. Way too strange. Laxus was someone she grew up with…built memories with…fell in love with, he had been in her life since she entered the guild. And now that he was leaving, she felt so uncertain of how to go on.

"So this is where you were." A low, masculine voice put a stop to her thoughts. Mira's steps halted, her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath, registering whose voice it belonged to.

She then turned around, the wind whipping at her hair, causing her to lift her hand and brush her silvery locks aside. Her heart jolted at the sight of the blond mage with a lightning bolt-shaped scar running down his right eye walking across the sand, wrapped up in bandages and holding onto his duffel bag as his fur-lined coat fluttered behind him with the wind.

He made his way towards her as he locked his gaze with azure ones, his face holding a neutral expression. She was unable to compose herself and allowed a smile to stretch at her lips as a pink blush glowed on her pale cheeks. She thought that he was gone by now. It turns out that he was still around. Relief washed over her. She was glad that she got to see him once more before he leaves for sure.

"Laxus…" She whispered softly.

As soon as he was close to her at arm length, he slowly halted his steps. Their gazes never faltered. They stared at each other for a few moments, before one of them spoke.

"Shouldn't you be preparing for the parade?" Laxus asked.

Mirajane shrugged, and giggled slightly. "I just needed some time to think about things."

Laxus grunted, and then shifted his gaze to the side nonchalantly. "Erza told me you would be here."

Mira's eyes widened slightly. She did tell Erza that she will be heading out for a while. Her rival knew her a little too well. "You were looking for me?"

Shifting his gaze back to her, Laxus nodded.

"I felt that we needed to talk."

Mira fell silent at those words. Always full of surprises… She wasn't expecting him to be here. She thought that this was her alone time. To think that he would actually be looking for her made something flutter in her chest. Her lips fell back into a wide, warm smile, breaking the silence. She missed this; their time together.

"How are you, Laxus?" She asked him in a soft voice.

Laxus shrugged. "I've been better. And you?" He lied. How could he tell her that there was a raging emotional turmoil inside of him? Can her really tell her that he felt lost after his grandfather, his only family, officially exiled him.

She shrugged her shoulder and looked at the horizon. "I've been better too."

An uncomfortable silence. The only sounds that could be heard was the waves crashing at their feet as their minds worked over their identical responses. It was good to know that both of them were trapped under the uncertainty of what happens next. Surely, they've been better. If only it was easy to just gather all the confusion and turmoil lurking within them and throw it away, allowing the sea to consume it and let it vanish within its depth. It's sad that things can't work that way.

Laxus watched her for a few moments, allowing his eyes to take her in. The rays of twilight kissed her pale complexion, tinting her with the colors of lavender flame. She's beautiful, she always been. That's one of the things that made him fall in love with her.

 _'If only I wasn't a blinded fool...'_ He thought regrettably.

Laxus exhaled through his nose and turned to face the horizon, a look of uncertainty on his face. He came here to talk with her, but he just didn't know where to begin.

Mirajane also had so much to say, soo much to ask, yet, she couldn't let it all out. Neither of them were feeling too mindful about the time, so they waited, willing the other person to say something.

Because as of right now, she realized that this was the chance to close the distance between them. They were no strangers; they were a part of each other's life. The gap between them became so wide as the years passed by. Lisanna's death, the change that took over Mirajane, and Laxus' somewhat twisted priorities pulled the two of them apart. It is only going to take the two of them to fill that gap between them. So she waited for what he had to say.

And at long last, he cracked the silence this time.

"I heard that you awakened Satan Soul."

She can't deny that she didn't expect that. But she didn't react. She remained calm. Yes, she did awaken it once more. She gained her magic back after a brutal battle with one of his companions. After a battle where she nearly killed said companion. A battle that sprouted from his attempted usurpation of the guild.

"Yeah, I did." she replied. She then looked at him from the corner of her eyes; her lips were pushed up to a slight smile. "I guess I have you to thank for that."

His head whipped around to look at her. His eyes widened slightly, and his mouth parted so that he could reply, wanting to retort by asking how so, since she was the one fighting Freed, until he understood what she meant.

His mouth then snapped shut, and he scrutinized her features. He really wasn't sure if there was some sort of resentment behind that, or…something else. Something he couldn't put a finger on.

He sighed. "I'm glad you're back." It was the truth. He had longed to see that demon of hers… the demon that had been sleeping for so long. It just showed a side of Mira that he always respected.

Mira turned to look at him, uncertainty clear on her face. "Really?"

Mirajane pondered in thought as she took in his words. One of the purpose of everything that's happened was filtering out those who were strong and eliminating those who are weak. Mirajane couldn't deny how useless she felt whenever her guild was in trouble, and that she couldn't do much to help because her fighting spirit and magic power was gone.

Her heart thumped at the idea that he didn't want her out of the guild.

Her power relied on darkness to call it forth. Rage… hatred…bloodlust…fear… When Freed tortured her brother right before her eyes, and threatened him, the heavy emotions that swirled inside triggered her dark magic and awakened the sleeping Satan within her. Because that's what her power fed on to awaken.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" Mira inquired. She wanted him to talk more, she wanted to hear him more.

Mirajane hated to think that this was some sort of goodbye. Deep down, she didn't want to believe he'd be gone for good, gone from her life forever.

He frowned and shook his head. "No, it's not."

"Then what is it?" She prompted softly, a concerned expression on her face.

He sighed again before holding her gaze. "Mirajane…I'm going to leave this place with no attachments and I want to clear a few things up with you before I do." He then glanced down at his boots. "I know that we sort of drifted apart during those last couple of years, and I'm not going to deny that I've hurt you…just as I've hurt Gramps. If you feel that you resent me, I won't blame you. You have every right to feel that way. And I just hope that I'm doing something right with you for once. So that's why, I-"

"Laxus.." Mirajane called out, interrupting him. She really wanted to hear what he had to say, but she wanted to dispel any thoughts of her hating him before anything else. He had to know that, she wanted him to know that, seeing that he now was in front of her.

She was smiling up at him. "After everything that's happened, I don't hate you."

His eyes widened at her words.

She sighed, and looked down sadly, shaking her head.

"There is no meaning in that." She then looked back up at him. "I'm just glad that deep down, you do care about everyone. You do care about Master. You care about Fairy Tail, I always believed that you did, which is why I would rely on your help whenever the guild was in trouble. It baffles me when you refuse, and when you would speak ill of everyone. I couldn't understand why because you're important just like the rest of us. A member of Fairy Tail, where we support our friends through thick and thin. I didn't want to think that we had someone who was entirely against us."

Mirajane had a painful expression as she searched his bluish green eyes, hoping to find an answer to clarify the reasons that she couldn't seem to put together.

Laxus exhaled through his nose, then turned around to face the horizon. He couldn't deny that he was relieved to hear that she didn't hate him after everything. The woman was something else. At the same time, just recalling what he did left a bitter feeling in his gut. Knowing that he hurt her with his actions made him wish he could take it all back.

Perhaps making her understand was one way to make up for it. It wouldn't be much, but he hoped that she would understand. What she thought of it wouldn't matter so much now, since he wouldn't be coming back. He'll simply lay it all out in front of her as much as he could, and just leave, and if nothing much comes out of it, he can always pretend that neither of them had that conversation to begin with.

"I just held onto my own beliefs." He said in a low voice. "The belief of being my own person. The belief that the strong perishes the weak. The belief that I'm a part of a powerful guild that will soon be mine. I never wanted Fairy Tail to be looked down upon. It sickens me to think that I am part of a guild that people can talk trash about."

"Laxus…" Mirajane mumbled softly in a sad tone, but she wasn't interrupting him.

He continued. "I hated the thought of growing up being known as Makarov's grandson. I wanted my own power acknowledged. I wanted people to see me for the Laxus that I am, not the blood relative of another." His gaze darkened, and it reminded Mira of storm clouds. She also noticed how tense his form was. His hand was clutching at his duffel bag tightly. She was certain that it could snap at any second.

"You hate to be compared to Erza, don't you, Mira? It's kind of the same for me, I had to bear with all of that." He then shook his head and let out a humorless chuckle. "How pathetic. My entire self constantly being redirected to Gramps; the person who raised me, never for who I really am. No one would see me as Laxus, because who the fuck is Laxus Dreyar? Makarov's grandson. As expected of Makarov's grandson, never for the man that he is." He spat out. "Next thing you know, your guild master is recruiting the ones that wrecked your guild and then you're walking around town and you hear a bunch of lowlifes in other bars disrespecting your guild and gushing shit from their mouths like they've got the rights. Like they can do so much better. I couldn't accept that." His voice was slightly rising with frustration. "I didn't want to be a part of that guild where we are looked down upon and spat at. That had been enough!" He growled out the last part, his arm sliced through the air to emphasize his words. His canines flashed when he grit his teeth in anger. He did the best he could to swallow the rage that fueled inside him as he recalled the crap that those losers once said. It was hard.

 _Fairy Tail is nothing to be afraid of! That place is finished!_

"Motherfuckers…" he mumbled out. Then, the voice of a certain black-haired dragon slayer rang in his head.

 _The guild is our family! It's all we needed!_

It calmed him down, a whole lot. "Little did I know how strong we always stood. People can talk shit about us, but words are only words until someone gets hurt. I just gave too much fucks about power that I didn't see what power was truly needed for us to stay strong, I didn't see how great we've always been, I just ended up learning it all the hard way."

He kind of forgot that Mirajane was right there next to him as he vented out his feelings. He didn't realize that he had spoken too much until he heard her let out a soft sob. He avoided her gaze when he saw that her eyes were welled up with tears. He really didn't need that right now.

He seemed to know how to only do that; make her cry.

"Stop it…" He was feeling uncomfortable, but his voice was laced with exhaustion and pain. "I didn't say all of that so you could pity me. You should know better than that."

"Laxus..." She breathed out. "Don't you know that in my eyes, you've always been you? You're Laxus Dreyar. A member of Fairy Tail. A powerful mage. A man of his own. Makarov's grandson by blood, not by power. Someone who is a part of my life. I could go on if you want me to, but this is the truth."

No, he didn't know that. As he took in those words, he had a pained expression with a lopsided smile spread on his lips.

"Kinda too late to say that now, don'tcha think?" he said softly.

"And also," Mira ignored him and continued. "You're someone so dear to me, Laxus, that I…" Her emotions were clouding her mind. She really wasn't thinking when her shoes hit the ground as she stepped closer to him and reached out to take his free hand in both of hers, squeezing it as her tears fell. "That I just wish it didn't have to end this way."

He fell silent at that. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down at their hands. He could hear his heart beating so fast in his chest, and he willed his flustered mind to stay calm as he continued to listen to her.

"But it's not wrong," she whispered then, smiling up at him as a pink blush stained her cheeks. "to learn things the hard way. It's how life works. That's how we find ourselves. Surely, it will hurt. The pain we get from that lesson can be excruciating, but it will make us strong, if we let it."

He can feel her thumb brushing against the back of his hand. Her skin was so soft and the affection she radiated engulfed his entire being with warmth. He felt so content with being around her right now. He didn't even want to think about leaving.

"Everything that's happened up till now could be for the best. Well, that's how I see it." She shrugged. "Because even when you're at your lowest, you will always have someone who will hold your hand and show you that you're never alone."

Laxus couldn't stop staring at her. She had stricken a chord in him. A certain desire to be closer to her. Mirajane is just… breathtaking. She was an iridescent being that walked into his life, and he could just punch himself a million times for pushing her away. She is just so incredible that it's so surreal to be in this moment. He was expecting her to hate him, or at least show him some form of resentment. At least the cold shoulder., not smiles and affection.

Even though she was probably this way with other guild members, this is the first time that Laxus has gotten a taste of her warmth. Damn the reality that he is in. Damn the reality that they were in. Damn him for fucking up. Damn it all.

He couldn't help himself as he removed his hand that was in her grasp and pulled her into a one-armed hug. He leaned down and buried his nose in her silver hair, inhaling her sweet, intoxicating scent. Her head rested against his chest, and he felt her body tremble against his frame. He didn't want to see her shed tears any longer, but that wasn't entirely the reason. She was doing this to him. Making him feel this weird feeling that he couldn't explain to himself. And he just felt that need to hold her. Just this once.

He couldn't see it, but Mira's cheeks were burning as she realized that he was hugging her. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. She didn't expect him to do this at all! To think that Laxus would just pull her into an embrace of some sort.

Indeed, he was full of surprises.

Her fingers clawed at the front of his coat, minding his wounds, as she buried her face against his chest. She was shaking as she shed her tears silently in sorrow due to the fact that this couldn't last, yet she was smiling so happily…

"Thank you, Mirajane." He whispered. "And I'm sorry… for what happened to Lisanna, and for everything." His voice was so soft that it made her shiver. Her heart was fluttering with some sort of intense feeling. Her voice was stuck in her throat, and she could only nod in response.

They didn't know how long they stayed this way. The sun had already set, and the moon already showed its face in the night sky, illuminating their surroundings. The waves were crashing ever so slowly against the shores. It was such a peaceful, quiet moment among two people whose hearts are joining together.

But good things didn't always last.

When they pulled away, neither liked the cold feeling that washed over them. They simply stared at each other for the final time, breathing in the moment before reality crawls its way back in.

Laxus then flashed a smirk and mirth was dancing in his eyes as he spoke.

"Guess the other guilds are gonna need a warning if they ever dare to mess around. Who would ever wanna cross you now that the Demon Mirajane is back?"

Mirajane blinked as those words dawned upon her, and then let out a giggle, lifting a hand to cover her mouth.

"Oh? You really think so?"

He only nodded, letting out a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I do. 'cause in one way or another, I know you're gonna give 'em Hell."

The way he winked at her with that scarred eye intensified Mira's blush. It was rather…attractive. She liked it.

"My, my~ you flatter me, Laxus."

"Just saying the truth."

"Others would probably not want to cross me, but would you?" She asked playfully

He grinned widely as he replied. "Heh, maybe. Consider it a sin that I might be willing to commit. A battle with Satan herself, sounds hot, if you ask me."

Mira resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Typical Laxus., but she just went on with the flow. She didn't know when they'd have another weird, yet cute moment like this.

"You know you shouldn't play with anything that's hot, Laxus."

"Who would want to play with Natsu?"

She couldn't help the laughter. It was contagious, because Laxus found himself chuckling along.

"Shouldn't you be heading back? The parade should be starting soon." Laxus asked, once their laughter died out.

That sort of made the smile on Mirajane's face falter a little.

"Yeah. I should."

Laxus nodded, then looked off to the side. "I better get going too." Adjusting his duffel bag, he looked at her once more, and prepared himself to walk off. "Guess this is goodby—"

"Don't say it."

His eyes widened slightly at her interruption. "Eh?"

Mirajane was smiling at him as she shook her head. "Don't say goodbye. Because it's not."

"Mirajane…" Laxus mumbled. He wasn't exactly sure of what she was trying to say. He thought it was clear that he was leaving. For good, he guessed.

"I'll see you again. Doesn't matter how long it'll take, but I'll see you again."

"Oh?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "I don't want this to be a goodbye. I don't want it to end like that, so I'll see you soon."

Laxus exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes, smiling.

"Heh. You really are something, you know that?"

Mirajane only giggled and winked at him.

Laxus let out a chuckle, then walked passed her. Mira turned around to watch him.

He then raised his hand, giving her a slight wave as he said, "See you later, demon."

A beat skipped. A strange sort of tingle soared within her, and she couldn't hold back her grin.

"See you later, Laxus." She whispered. She ignored the way her chest felt so heavy with each step he took. She felt her heart twisting with each sound his boots caused. This was the last time. Well, for now, it was the last time she was going to see him like that.

She couldn't.

She couldn't let him go, not after everything they shared, not after everything that happened between them.

She allowed her emotions to cloud her mind. She ran to him, sand splashing behind her and tears falling from her eyes already.

"LAXUS!" She yelled out, causing him to turn and look at her in shock. She throw her self at him, causing him to stumble back a little, his duffel bag falling on the sand. His heart started beating loudly as his arms unconsciously found their way around his waist. He could feel his face heating up as she looked up at him with a ping blush and glassy, blue eyes.

"M-Mira! W-Wh-" She didn't give him anytime to finish as she cupped his cheeks and yanked his head down, smashing their lips together in an intense kiss. Laxus's eyes widened as he felt her soft, strawberry flavored lips on his. She closed her eyes and pushed herself against him, more tears running down her cheeks. Laxus tasted them, making his heart ach at how stupid he was. He slowly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her as the moonlight shone at them, brightening Mira's beautiful pale complexion.

She finally found her closure. And it wasn't with the sea.


	12. Looking Forward

Hey guys! Another chapter that I'm sure you've missed. My laptop is finally fixed, but mid terms just started. Sometimes, it seems my life can't get better! Anyways, hope you enjoy it and if you have any opinions, complains, you can PM or use the reviews section.

P.S : I'm sure many of you will hate Kurito by the end of this chapter ;)

* * *

After a few hours, Makarov was in good shape, so he went and joined the festival, which was postponed a day, because of all the sudden chaos. For once, Kurito would have joined as well, but he could still barely move. All the strength he had was used to watch the entire festival from a window. Fireworks in the sky, spectacles, and noise. Lots of noise. But since there wasn't much to see, he decided to go back to bed, and think about what happened today. The important thing was...his dream. Was his mind playing games at him for not avenging his fallen kinsmen? Or was it real? Whatever it was, Ziroko and Zeref's word clashed inside him. He was on a goal and he tried not to get involved in any other thing, but whenever he walked inside the guild, he watched people drink, dance, and laugh like there was no tomorrow. All of them had their own goals, even the strongest of them.

 _Live on..._

He gritted his teeth and growled loudly, clutching the sheets so hard it could've been ripped. Live on!? What the fuck does that mean? After everything he went through; his dragon's disappearance, his clan's massacre, the people's despising him...How can he just move on after everything that happened!?

He could feel tears polling in around his eyes, the familiar magical power in them released, turning them bloody red. Several important questions running through his head...

How could he move on?

How did _they_ move on?

Why did he see Zeref and Ziroko in his dreams?

His stomach flipped, making him want to throw up. He can't give up his revenge. Many has suffered in the hands of Zeref and his demons. He would be doing himself and the world a favor by disposing the Black Wizard. When he's gone, there will be no more dark guilds, twisted cultists, or monstrous demons to lurk around. Everyone would be at peace and life will move on perfectly.

A knock on the door pulled Kurito from his thoughts. He quickly rubbed the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. "Who is it?"

"It's me." His eyes widened at hearing the familiar voice of Erza. "Shouldn't you be in the festival? You know that Master was quite adamant about you and Mira participating." He said with a frown. _Did she really ditch the rest of the festival?_

"Sorry, mooooom." She said with a giggle, making Kurito groan. "Come in, Scarlet."

The scarlet-haired beauty opened the door and closed it behind her. Kurito noticed that she was carrying a cake carrier with her. She walked to him with a small smile on her face. "How are you now?"

Kurito smiled back. "Pretty bad, but at least I can still use the middle finger."

Erza laughed as she sat in the chair beside his bed. "Be grateful, Kurito Arouna. I skipped the last part of the festival for you."

Kurito rolled his eyes. "More for your cake than me, but I guess you wanted someone to put the blame on for skipping the festival."

Erza pouted. "And here I thought I was doing you a favor." She wrapped her arms around the cake container protectively. "No cake for you."

Kurito rolled his eyes again, a smile on his face. "Sorry, moooooooom."

Erza grinned widely. She opened the container, taking out a spoon from her pocket. Kurito smiled at her as her eyes shined at the sight of her strawberry cake. Around many, especially their guild mates, Erza was stern, impatient and feared, but to him, she was a child who still took every moment of life to enjoy. She was strong-willed and caring, willing to put her life for others.

Erza noticed him staring and and extended the spoon to him, a small piece of the cake on it, making Kurito look at her with raised eyebrows.

She looked away, her cheeks turning red. "Y-You want some, r-right?'

His eyes widened at her offer. It was a common rule known to everyone that Erza doesn't share her swords...and cakes with anyone.

"Y-You didn't eat anything ever since the battle. I-I though that maybe I have a share to spare..." She trailed away, stuttering.

Inwardly, Kurito smiled, but outwardly, he smirked. "So I was right afterall. You wanted someone to put the blame on for ditching the festival. You're now luring me into a trap to make me your partner in crime. How wicked of you, Erza."

Erza smacked him in the head as he laughed, her face flushed. "Y-You s-scoundrel! No cake for you!" She ate the piece and glared at him, which failed to even slightly intimidate him because of her blush.

"But really, Erza, thank you." He said as he turned to look at the window, his lips stretching in a smile while his upper eyelids dropped.

Erza noticed his distant expression he wore and swallowed. She placed the cake and the spoon on the table and looked down at her lap while fidgeting. "Kurito?" She called, making him to to turn and look at her.

She took a deep breath and stilled herself. "D-Do you think Mystogan is Jellal?" That thought was running around her head the whole day. She knew it was stupid to ask him; he never knew Jellal, let alone saw him. But he once told her that he can detect magic users with his eyes. Maybe there is a chance he can confirm it?

Kurito looked up with furrowed brows. "Well, since you once told me that this Jellal guy uses magic, did he use any kind of equipment to release it?"

Erza shook her head.

"The aura of his magic...can you describe it to me?"

Erza took a deep breath. "I-It was evil. I felt like if I didn't leave him be, he would've killed me." She took another deep shaky breath as she clutched her skirt, trembling as the her past, painful memories returned to her. Kurito frowned and placed his hand on hers.

"Don't worry. I think it's not him."

Her eyes widened. "R-Really?"

Kurito nodded as he gave her hand a small squeeze. "Yes. Ever since we knew Mystogan, he used staffs to release his magic and Mystogan's aura felt...warm. It was like I could give him my back and not think twice about it."

Erza gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Kurito. You're really are a good friend."

Kurito smiled back. "Anything for my partner in crime." He retreated his hand back, but flinched when Erza immediately clasped it with her hands. She took another breath, looking at Kurito with furrowed eyebrows, her lips were in a thin line. "Please...can you tell me what happened in Rakasha?"

For a moment, Kurito felt his breath get caught in his throat. _H-How the fuck..!?_

Erza noticed the way his face paled. "I-It's just that back then...you were...different. And ever since then, you've seemed to be always focused on something." _So, please...be true to me._

 _Wh-Where the hell did that come from!?_ Kurito thought. _I can say that I don't want to talk about it, but...well that be fair to her? She told me everything about herself, but in return, I never told her anything of importance about myself._

He chuckled inwardly. _It's amazing how much she trusts me even though there's probably many reasons not to._

"To say the truth, I don't know where to begin." He finally spoke, taking a deep breath. _Well, here goes nothing. Hope you're ready..._

He started from the beginning. Why he took the mission, who he met, how the people of Rakasha betrayed him...

And how he annihilated them to save a girl.

He noticed how Erza's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. "Y-You killed them...!?"

Kurito gritted his teeth as his eyes turned bloody red. "I know killing people is wrong, BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY TO FIX THINGS! THIS IS MY PURPOSE! TO AVENGE EVERYONE THAT FELL ON THE HANDS OF ZEREF AND HIS FOLLOWERS!"

He turned to face Erza, who flinched back. "WOULD'VE ANYONE ELSE DONE IT? TO GO THIS FAR, TO FACE THIS MUCH!"

Noticing that Erza recoiled back, Kurito gritted his teeth and looked down at his lap, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "To avenge everyone and cleanse this world...only I can do it."

 _It was bound to happen...sooner or later, she was bound to know the truth._ Kurito placed his hand on his face. _I really...fucked up._

Suddenly, Kurito's eyes widen as he heard a sob. He turned to find tears running down Erza's cheeks, her eyes glued to his. _E-Erza...why are you crying? Did I somehow scare her? No, that's not her; to be scared by someone's past._

She clasped her hands around his. "I-I know how it feels..." She sobbed. "To feel alone...to feel that nobody understands you...to keep yourself away from everyone around you...to be despised for something you didn't have a choice in..."

 _His entire life...he was fighting his entire life. He was alone all this time. I thought I was his best friend, no, the closest person to him...then why? Why didn't I notice he was suffering? What kind of friend am I!?_

"E-Erza...why are you-" Kurito was cut off as she hugged him to her, burying his face in her bosom.

"Because you were suffering this whole time! I was your friend. I shared everything with you! And I didn't notice that you were suffering this entire time!" He could feel her tears falling on his head. "But I understand what it feels to be haunted that's why.." She pushed him back, her teary eyes looking at his wide ones. "Don't hold that burden by yourself! We're friends, you idiot!" _I want you to lean on me, just like how I lean on you._

 _Erza Scarlet, the stern, strict, and impatient proud mage of Fairy Queen, yet, caring, warm-hearted, and strong-willed. I'm really...envious of you, Erza._

He hugged her, a smile on his face. She accepted his embrace and wrapped her arms around him, remnants of her tears staining his bandages.

 _You're too good for me, Erza._

 _Master Ziroko, is that what they call...peace?_

"Thank you, Erza."

* * *

"You know I can feel your presence, Master." Kurito spoke, not bothering to look up at the door. Erza fell asleep in his arms, breathing softly and steadily. He looked down at her with a smile. _She'll probably kill me if she knew this, but I think she's as cute as a baby when she sleeps._

He looked up to find Makarov looking at him with a neutral expression. _So he told her everything. Damn you, Kurito. You're no different than these brats; always causing me problems._

"How do you feel?" Makarov asked eyeing his bandages.

"Relaxed enough to hear whatever rant you will throw at me."

Makarov grunted. "Why does everybody assume that I only want them when I'm in trouble?"

"Because that's what we always put ourselves in." Kurito said with a chuckle.

Makarov gave a small smile as he noticed Kurito playing with Erza's red locks. _To be fair, I would've fell in love with her if I was her age. You're a lucky man, Kurito, to have such a wonderful woman looking out for you, but I bet you already know that, right?_

His eyebrows furrowed. _But you better take care of her too, because if you don't, than that's the only thing I can't forgive._

"Can you walk?" Makarov asked.

Kurito slowly rested Erza's head on the bed, careful not to wake her up. He caressed her soft cheek as her even, peaceful breath tickled his fingers. "Kurito..." She whispered sleepily, causing the Dragon Slayer to smile.

He felt the need to stay and watch over her. To keep her at peace and protect her like she was last glimmer of light in his darkened sanity, but he knew that Makarov's business with him was always serious. He wouldn't be surprised if the old man knew about his time in the dark guilds, despite being a member in the most famous legal guild.

He left the bed and silently walked behind Makarov, who was leading him to his office. The guild was filled with its members, who were unconscious due to heavy drinking and partying the entire day.

 _I wonder if someone can fight two battles in a row, one inside and the other out, and still keep their composure? But it's likely because they are the winning side. Winners never cry and losers are left to lick their wounds, no matter who's right and who's wrong._

He entered the office behind Makarov and closed the door. The fact that Makarov stopped walking and didn't take his usual seat made Kurito raise an eyebrow. _Is it that serious? If it was, then he would've called Gildarts or Mira along with me. Why would he choose only me?_

"Kurito, do you remember that mission?" Makarov spoke, not turning to glance at Kurito.

"Hm? What mission?"

Makarov turned to face Kurito. "The mission in Rakasha."

For a moment, Kurito felt like a bucket of cold water was splashed at him. He knew that Makarov knew about what happened in Rakasha, but what made him freeze was the fact that he brought it up now, after all this time. _This can't be good..._

Makarov faced Kurito, trying to find the most appropriate way to tell him the news he had. _God have mercy on this boy's soul. As if he hadn't suffered enough!_

"I really don't know how to say it, but...The Council are reopening the case."

Kurito's eyes widen. He could feel his heart pounding and his lips drying. _Th-The council i-is what?_

He he covered his face with his hand, looking down with half lidded eyes. "A-Am I...going to jail?"

Makarov sighed and massaged his shoulder. "It's not that close...yet. I already told Yajima to hold them off. The Council plays with politics. They won't do something that wouldn't pay them back. Rakasha had been lost and forgotten to the people. And throwing you in jail may not benefit much." _Could it be...they want the Shinigami Eyes?_

"W-Who reopened the case?" Kurito stammered, shaken by the possibility of being ripped his freedom.

"That's what you're going to find out."

"Huh!?"

 _If they somehow reach the point of suspecting him, then it would be better to send him away for a period of time. A couple of days is not bad. But if I send him away, wouldn't he be an easy pick for The Council? No, The Council wouldn't dare capturing him at this point. They don't even have the bases that might lead to him. But if he stays around, it could drag trouble and in the same time, make them send spies to monitor him. And I know much as anyone that the fact that the council doesn't dare sometimes doesn't mean they'll play fair._

"I contacted Master Roubaul. His a master of a small guild known as Cait Shelter. He asked for me to accept one of their mages as a trainee. He said that she could use some knowledge on being a mage." Makarov explained. "To put it simply, your mission is to go and bring that girl, train her, and take care of her." _And I pray that her innocence might warm your soul._

Kurito looked down, his hands clenching to fists. _Just when I thought that things were going to be better...It seems that it's the only choice that I have. Besides, if the council fabricated something, I could use the girl as a witness and say that I was with her. And she would say the same._

He looked up and his eyes bore into Makarov's. _Even after all I've done, I can't even take a small break to think about my choices in life. The only thing that I have left is to keep trying. For myself...for Master...and for Erza._

"Well then, when do I need to leave?" Kurito asked.

Makarov grinned. "The same time you brats always leave at." _The moment you take the mission._

Kurito chuckled. He understood what the master meant. It was one of many habits in this guild; to leave as quickly as possible. Before he knew it, the habit stuck to him like that. He'll have to whine about it to Erza later.

"Well then, all I have to do is go so far the council can't follow me."

 **At northern Fiore:**

In the northern region of Fiore and in the middle of a forest, stood the mighty dark guild, Hell's Rain. The guild members were known for their ferocity and gang-like attitudes. Their loud, partying voices could be heard from miles away. Normally, dark guilds would move away as not to get caught by the sights of the Magic Council, but this particular guild liked attention, as they were still rising in power.

"Hey, Jean! What happened to that blonde winch you brought with ya the last time?" One of the men shouted with a laugh and flushed cheeks as he drank from his mug.

The man known as Jean laughed. "You're sitting in her chair, idiot!"

"Ewww, man, we eat hear!"

As the sounds of laughs and mugs clanking could be heard throughout the forest. None of the guilds members noticed the strong magical presence coming from the forest. Two man stepped out of the bushes. One of them had a spiky, tied, long hair that reached to the middle of his back, his bangs covered his right eye. He wore a knights armor with Fiore's royal family sigil embodied on the middle. He held two long barrel pistols in his hands, a sigil of a red, burning phoenix was on both barrels.

"Well, then, Aemor. Shall we keep the peace?" The knight said as his onyx eyes turned bloody red.

The old man known as Aemor wore a simple butler uniform with white gloves. To those who didn't know him, he would appear as a simple elderly butler, who is dressed gracefully in his traditional black uniform. His hair is entirely white, just like his immaculate beard. He has visible wrinkles on his hollow face, but eyes sharp as an eagle's. He bowed to the knight. "As always, Master Fujitaka, I shall come in when you're finished."

Fujitaka smirked, raising his guns. "Good. I'm bad at _cleaning_."

Fujitaka walked until he was facing Hell's Rain large doors. He simply knocked at the door, making Aemor roll his eyes.

"Hey, man, I think I heard some knocks on the door." One of Hell's Rain members, who sat close to the door, stated, looking at the door with narrowed eyes.

"S-Shtop being...such a..panzy, Luke~" His friend, who sat opposite of him replied groggily with flushed cheeks, causing Luke roll his eyes. _At least have some focus, retard._

"Yeah, Luke, don't be such a spoilsport! Who the fuck would knock on a guild's door anyway!?" Another man, who sat beside Luke with flushed cheeks, laughed as he took a big gulp from his bottle.

Luke sighed as he stood up. _I heard it clearly, you drunk retards. It doesn't matter, though. Once I get my pay from all the slave trading we're doing, I'm dumping your sorry asses._ Luke thought as he grinned inwardly. "But god help me with these no-good idiots." He sighed as he walked to the guild door

He stood in front of the door and whispered with narrowed eyes. "Who is it?"

"Oh, you know.." Luke's eyes widen as he heard a voice from the other side of the door. "A real god!"

 _Bang!_

The sound of a bullet shook the entire guild, silencing everyone and causing to turn and look at Luke's lifeless body on the ground with wide eyes. Some of them noticed the small hole on the guild door.

"L-Luke!"

"Get it together man!"

"What the fuck!?"

Fujitaka kicked the doors open, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. He walked inside the guild, leaving behind bloodprints as he passed Luke's body.

"Hey guys, how's your health plan?" Fujitaka said, scanning the guild with his eyes.

Everyone glared at him with gritted teethes and clenched fists. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Bastard, you'll pay for what you did to Luke!"

"You brats, don't let that fucker leave alive!" The guild master shouted. Fujitaka looked at the man with narrowed eyes. He wore a black jeans with chains and had a well-toned body. He had a beard and a mohawk hair, both are dark brown.

A shiver rooked through Fujitaka as he grinned. _This kind of excitement...how much since I last longed for it?_

"FOR LUKE!" They shouted as they charged at him.

"Apparently it's great!" Fujitaka exclaimed with a grin, rising his guns and shooting at his attackers. Groans and cries of pains could be heard throughout the forest. Blood splashed across the guild's floor as the injured crawled through it in a hopeless attempt to escape. The sound of gunshot echoed through the guild. The guild's master ran to his office, closing the door with iron locks. He hid under his desk, his heartbeats reaching his ears as he panted, cold sweat rolling down his face.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Who the hell is this guy and how the fuck can he take an entire guild with just two fucking pistols!?_ He thought, trying to take a deep calming breath. _I can jump through the window, but my legs can break! The only way to escape is through the bar's back door, but that guy is-_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The master felt his heart drop, his body trembled as he gulped.

"Open the door." He heard Fujitaka's calm voice from the other side of the door.

His body was shaking. He gulped again as the sweat running down his face dried and felt nothing but coldness. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm going to die! I don't wanna die! Fuck slave trading! Just please god let me live!_ The master thought, tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh, why hell am I bothering!" Fujitaka exclaimed as he started shooting the door. The master bowed down, his forehead pushing against the floor as he clasped his hand behind his head, tears running down his cheeks as he whimpered.

Fujitaka looked at the dark room through one of the holes caused by his bullets. _Really? Hiding under the desk? What a boring man.._ His Shinigami Eyes allowed him to see all sources of magic. And surprisingly, the master of Hell's Rain had magic powers.

Fujitaka stepped into the room, causing the master to yelp. Fujitaka rolled his eyes. "Come out and save me the bullets." He threatened, his bloody red eyes glowing.

Slowly and shakily, the master stood up, tears running down his cheeks while his body trembled. "P-Please w-wait!" He stuttered.

"Shut it. I have something I want you to tell me about."

Outside Hell's Tears guild building, Aemor stood waiting. The smell of blood reached his nostrils. He heard everything from the start. The shots, the cries, and the whimpers. As a man of justice and loyalty, Aemor didn't feel a bit of sympathy for them. In fact, he relished at their punishment. His eyes narrowed at the guild building. _They never left or forgave a poor woman, children, or elders before marking them as slaves. Why should anyone sympathize with them? That is justice and justice is absolute._

Suddenly, he felt something buzz in his pocket. He took out a small communication lacrima that was glowing, indicating an incoming call. "What is it?" He answered.

"Aemor, where are you and Master? The council is holding an emergency meeting." A calm, feminine voice could be heard from the lacrima.

"Don't worry, we're just going on a walk." He replied. _More like, he's going for a walk._

The woman on the lacrima sighed. "Be honest with me, what are we looking at in terms of collateral?"

Aemor thought for a second. _The smell of blood and and stink, the cold wind, and the blood slipping past the guild's broken doors..._ "Well..."

"The Fujitaka amount."

* * *

"Easier said than done, Master." The old butler said, walking right behind Fujitaka. They were walking down the Magic Council HQ in Era. Fujitaka wore a new, red knight's armor. His onyx eyes scanned the hall like a hungry wolf stalking its pray. _I don't know how can they call themselves the head of the magic world and still have this level of security. Well, they are not the only thorn in my road..._ Fujitaka thought.

He chuckled. "Aemor, Aemor, Aemor, how many times did I tell you that in order to catch the enemy off guard, we have to pretend we're in chaos. We already know the enemy like we know ourselves."

 _All we have to do now is proceed with caution...in order to create a new world._

As Aemor and his master reached the gates of the meetings room. Aemor noticed the small smile on his master's face as the amphibian guards opened bowed and opened the gates for him. _Master seems to be looking forward to this. The goal of creating a new world is something I've lost belief in a long time ago, but maybe..._

"Welcome, Major Fujitaka." One of the amphibian guards curtsied as he opened the doors.

 _Just, maybe..._

"Thank you." Fujitaka bowed his head slightly in return.

As the doors fully opened, Aemor felt as if the light washed over him. With Fujitaka standing in front, it looked to Aemor that the skies was blessing him...

Because at that moment, Major Fujitaka stood greater than any king.

 _The light of the Future rests in Master Fujitaka's hands._

Once the doors opened, Aemor noticed all the members eyeing Fujitaka with narrowed eyes, except for Siegrain and Ultear, who smirked at his presence.

"Well, well, well, the Ghost of Rivelia graces us with his present. Have you not gotten old, Major?" Jellal remarked with crossed legs, a smile on his face while Ultear snorted.

Fujitaka made his way and stood in front of the round table, facing all members. "You seem to have gotten used to those...boring geezers, but that doesn't mean you can compare me to them." Fujitaka said, crossing his arms with a grunt.

Jellal and Ultear chuckled while Michello fumed. "Who are you calling old!? Respect the Council, Major!"

Fujitaka rolled his eyes. "Or what, gonna let me sleep like Makarov?"

A vein popped in Michello's head. _You little..._ He was about to open his mouth to retort, but was caught off by Sage Org. "Spare us the chitchat, Major." He glared at Fujitaka, who remained narrowed his eyes. "Get to the point."

Fujitaka sighed. _Like you'll understand, you fools._

Jellal and Ultear grinned. _Now this is going to be interesting._ They thought in unison.

While any other individual would've stuttered and start sweating, Aemor knew his master wasn't like that. Living in an era where everybody looked for their own gains, Fujitaka acted as if he knew the outcome of the game everyone was playing. He stood like a mountain in the face of a storm of narrowed eyes and glares sent at him from the council members. He was sure that everything will become just as he planned. They all fought for the same reason: fame. The didn't care about the increasing numbers of dark guilds or the people who die because of it, they never did, and never will.

 _Under normal circumstances, humans should have continued to evolve as the greatest creatures upon this earth, but we were actually regressing. A rotten world. Politics, law, education…was there anybody around who could correct this world? But someone had to do it._ Fujitaka thought.

 _Watch me, brother...as I make the new world...and become its justice._

"Well then, gentlemen.." He turned to look at Ultear. "And ladies." Ultear smirked and nodded.

"Shall I take over the Rakasha massacre investigation?"

* * *

 _Where am I?_

The Fairy Tail S-Class mage, Erza Scarlet, found herself in a void of darkness. She looked around her, scanning her surroundings and not finding a single living thing around. "Is someone here?"

Suddenly, the darkness around her was turning into images, all of it from her past. She froze, not knowing what to do as images of guards hitting her, spitting on her, emerged.

 _W-What the hell is happening!?_ "Whoever you are, I will not play this game you're playing!" She shouted, summoning her magic.

 _W-What!? My magic...I can't use it!_

She clenched her fists as one the whirlwind of memories stopped at one image. It was during her sleeping hours at the tower. While everyone was fast asleep, she sat with an old lady, who claimed to be a fortune teller. Erza hardly remembered such memory, being someone who hated her past.

 _"S-So...what's my fortune, Lady Mandarin?" Erza asked as she clutched the hem of her dress_

The real Erza's face softened. She felt her body relax at that memory. She was a kid who suffered from slavery and starvation. Even if she didn't believe in such fortune, she always found something to make her feel better. Something that she'll cling to to help her survive another day.

 _The old lady's eyes brightened. Her light blue eyes looked like she was reflecting the stars. She patted little Erza on the head._

 _"It's the fate of every human soul to suffer. Suffering gives us strength. Strength to fight, to live, and to love." She leaned and kissed the little girl on her forehead, making Erza's eyes widen. "One day, sweet child, fate will give you a gift."_

 _Little Erza's eyes sparkled. "A gift!?"_

 _"Yes a gift, but not any gift. You will be blessed with many gifts, but the most special of them all is...a guardian."_

 _"A guardian?"_

 _"Yes, my dear child. You'll be blessed with a guardian whose eyes have the same color of your hair. He'll cherish you and be your shoulder. And when the time comes, he'll lean on you as well."_

 _"You will teach each other the true meaning of freedom."_

Erza slowly opened her eyes. She looked around with half-lidded eyes to find that she was tucked in the infirmary bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She stretched and groaned, remembering the events of last night.

Suddenly, her eyes were wide open as she noticed one missing thing. _Where is Kurito?_

She was to call for him, when she heard the door open. She turned to look at the intruder to find it was her team.

"Hey, Erza! What are you doing here?" Natsu chirped as he stood in front of the bad.

Lucy sighed. _Thank god. I thought she collapsed or something._ "Where have you been all night?! I passed Fairy Hills, but they said they didn't see you since yesterday!"

"Yeah, it's really strange for you to stay here to be here. Is something wrong?" Gray asked as he eyed her from head to toes.

"I really wanted to take the chance and fight you and brother yesterday! But you just ran away." Natsu fumed.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

 _Since he mentioned it..._ "Natsu, where is-

"Ara, Ara, everyone, you mustn't disturb her. She was exhausted yesterday." Mirajane interrupted her as she entered the infirmary, holding a cake container. She smiled at Erza. _Well, you better be grateful, Erza. I'm milking the info on what happened yesterday between you and your dragon._ She thought.

Erza caught what the Take-Over mage was thinking and sweatdropped. _God have mercy on my soul._

"By the way, Erza, I found this in the bar." Mira said as she stepped forward to give Erza an empty cake container. Erza looked down to find a paper in it.

" _Thanks for the cake. It was good! Going on a mission for master, K."_

Erza smiled. _Idiot...going in and out from the guild whenever you want...wait a second..._

"HE ATE THE ENTIRE CAKE!?"

"HAPPY, RUN! ERZA IS MAD!"

"AYE!"

"WAIT, YOU IDIOTS! WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAKE!?" Erza roared as she jumped from the bed, running after Natsu and Happy.

Gray sweatdropped while Lucy gave a shaky laugh. Mirajane giggled before looking through the window, spotting Erza in her Fire Empress Armor. _Well, it seems like everything is the same. It's true that Natsu and some of us were against your expulsion, but that didn't change anything in the guild. This is what you wanted, right, Laxus?_

Walking away from Magnolia, Kurito had a small smile on his face, throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder. He stopped and turned to look at Magnolia. The wind blowed, his jacket and hair moving with it in a sync. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the shining sun rays warming his body from the chilliness of the wind.

 _Just like this world moves in harmony, I will move forward with Fairy Tail. I have a feeling, no...a need to return here. Maybe what I always longed for is something that was always so near. The dark world can wait, but we only get few chances at light. Perhaps this is what you always wanted to tell me, Master Ziroko?_

 **1 day later:**

Kurito felt his legs going numb from constant walking. He cursed his magic, as it had the side effect of motion sickness when using traveling vehicles. He often managed to deal with it by taking some potions from Master Hades and Porlyusica. But the old woman wasn't in the guild, and he knew how much she hated it when someone would come knocking on her door. As for Hades, Kurito cut his contact with him a long time ago.

 _Damn it. This is the worst! At least I will not have that old hag nagging me about it, or that damned Hades blackmailing me into doing some dirty jobs._

Suddenly, the wind blowed harshly, causing the trees around Kurito to rustle. He narrowed his eyes forward as he felt a magical presence. He activated his Shinigami Eyes, using them to detect it. His eyes narrowed as he saw a nasty magical presence, but softened when he spotted another warmer one.

 _One has the intent to kill and the other...seems to be shrinking? Is he scared? Well, mulling about it wont do me any good. Better get moving. Strategy No.1: Find the bastard._

Kurito walked forward on guard. He always thought that maneuvering people you could see was a waste of time. They were both meant to fight in the end, so why bother? He made his way carefully through trees and bushes, until he heard voices and hid behind a tree.

"S-Stop it please!" The first voice pleaded, who sounded to be a girl's.

"WENDY RUN!" The second voice, who came out a bit strained, shouted.

 _Wendy? That sounds familiar..._

"You're not going anywhere, little tarts!" A third voice, who sounded like a man's, shouted with a laugh. Kurito confirmed the owner to be the one with the nasty energy. "You're going to be a fine gift to lord Zeref!"

Kurito's blood boiled as he clenched his fists. He unsheathed his sword and gritted his teeth, a vain popping in the middle of his forehead.

"Please don't! We'll do-kugghhh!" The girl choked.

"Don't say anything else! You're annoying! And neither of us want your neck to be broken, right?" The man said before licking his lips.

"Oh look at that.." Kurito said as he stepped out, catching the threes attention. His bloody red eyes glowed as his grip around his sword tightened. The man was around his fifties and wore a priest's clothes and had brown hair. He had wrinkles on his face, showing his old age. His left hand was around the girl's throat while his right held a revolver. The girl looked at him with teary, brown eyes. She had a long, dark blue hair that reached down to her waist, with two bangs framing her face which reached down to her chest. She wore a simple dress with two wavy stripes running across the dress and ending in small pointed edges at the bottom. Around her arms and legs she wore wing like attachments.

He looked at the left to find a badly bruised white cat on the ground. The cat had pink ears and brown eyes. It also had two whiskers on each side of her face. She wore a pink bow near the end of her tail. She wore a top consisting of a mustard yellow and pink top with a pink bow tie. She also wore a pink skirt with this top.

He directed his attention back to the priest. "Well, if it isn't a church priest, and look at that, no little Johnny glued to your crotch, what a progress!"

The priest grinned. "You came late, hero! I already killed everyone, except this little tart!" He turned the girl forcibly and pushed her back against his chest, his left arm around her neck. He aimed the revolver at her head. The girl placed her hands on his arms, trying to release herself, but with no avail. The priest tightened his hold at her neck, causing her to choke. "Don't worry, I still plan on killing her."

"Mhmm..." Kurito nodded and shrugged his shoulders as he checked the edge of his sword.

"But before that, I'm going to rape her!"

The cat's eyes widen, tears polling in them. "WENDY!"

"Nnneat." Kurito said as he continued checking his sword. _Just another twisted cultist. I met so many of them I've become bored._

"But before all of that, I'm going to kill you!" The priest laughed.

"Oh.." Kurito's eyes narrowed as he smiled. "You see that would be intimidating if you were, well..." Kurito chuckled. "Intimidating."

The priest's grin fell and he growled. "Are you mocking me!?"

Kurito sighed. "Oh, no, no, no ,no, no..." He grinned. "Pfft, yes!" He suddenly dashed at them. In that moment, Wendy saw the moon's reflection on his sword. The moment went like a blur, and the sword disappeared. She felt a sharp pain at the right side of her chest and looked down with wide eyes...

The sword just went through her.


End file.
